Historical Novels Review | Issue 13 (August 2000)

THE HISTORICAL

NOVELS

Review

Investigating Elizabeth Peters In Defence of the Saga

More reasons to write historical fiction

Over 200 new British and American titles reviewed

THE I-IlSTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW is published quarterly by the Historical Novel Society

Membership of The Historical Novel Society for 2000 is £15 (UK) , £18 (Europe) , £21 or $30 U S (rest of world) . Membership is by calendar year (January to December) , and entitles members to all the year ' s publications : two issues of Selander, and four issues of The Historical Novels Review

Back issues of society publications are available at the following rates (inclusive ofp&p) : Selander (issues 1, 4 , 5,6) : £3 each ( UK, Europe) , £4 or $8US each (rest of world) Review (issues 5 , 6, 8, 9 , 10) : £2 each ( UK , Europe) , £3 or $SUS each (rest of world) All other publications have sold out completely. Apply to Membership Secretary Payment must be either in UK Pounds or US dollars. To subscribe in UK Pounds, please send cash, postal order, cheque (drawn on a UK bank) , or UK Pound Eurocheque (with card number on rear) UK pound cheques must be made payable to The Historical Novel Society (not to Richard Lee ). Please send to : The Membership Secretary, HNS ., 38 The Fairway, Newton Ferrers , Devon., PL8 lDP email ray sherlock@appleoneline .net. To subscribe in US dollars please send a check to US membership Secretary : Tracey A Callison, 824 Heritage Dr. Addison II 60101 , email callison@ wwa com. Checks payable to Tracey (not Richard Lee, not The Historical Novel Society)

SOLANDER EDITOR : Richard Lee, Marine Cottage, The Strand , Starcross, Devon, EX6 8NY (histnovel@aol.com)

Contributions Policy : Please contact Richard with ideas in the first instance. Please note that the society does not usually pay for contributions, except to competition winners Letters to the Editor : are gratefully received and read with interest ; but they are too numerous for me to be able to guarantee an answer. Please, if you want an reply , enclose an sae Interviews : It is possible to organise to interview an author through the society Please write to Richard if there is someone you are interested in meeting

THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

CO-ORDINATING EDITOR (UK) Sally Zigmond, 18 Warwick Crescent , Harrogate, North Yorkshire , HG2 8JA (s all y@ fsmail.net)

CO-ORD INATING EDITOR (U SA) Sarah Nesbeitt , 18 Woodland Way , Mansfield , MA 02048 USA. ( snesbeitt@ bridgew .edu)

UK REVIEWS EDITORS

To w se Harrison , 12 Ascott Road , Aylesbury , Buckinghamshire, HP20 lHX (towse@ sunjester.freeserve .co .uk) Dominique Nightingale, 39 Quilter Road , Felixstowe , Suffolk, IP l l 7JL (dominique nightingale@ btintemet.com ) Sarah Cutbertson, 7 Ticehurst Close, Worth, Crawley, W Sussex, RHlO 7GN (ICuthberts@aoI.com)

Mary Moffat (Children's) , Sherbrooke, 32 Moffat Road , Dumfries, Scotland , DGl lNY (sherbrooke@ marysmoffat ndo .co .uk)

lfyou would like to review for the society, please contact one of the editors (above) and ask for a copy of the reviewing guidelines .

US REVIEWS EDITORS

Trudi Jacobson , (tj662 @ csc albany edu) Ilysa Magnus , (goodlaw2 @aol.com)

COPYRIGHT remains in all cases with the authors of the articles No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form , without the written permission of the authors concerned

O UT OF PRINT BOOKS : The following dealers issue catalogues of out of print historical novelsKaren Miller, Forget-Me-Not Books, Judith Ridley 11 Tamarisk Rise , Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 I WG Rachel Hyde , 2 Meadow Close, Budleigh Salterton, Devon, EX9 6JN Tel 01395 446238 Rosanda Books, David Baldwin, 11 Whiteoaks Road , Oadby, Leicester LE2 SYL Tel 0116 2713880 David Spenceley , 75 Harley Drive, Leeds , LS13 4QY. Tel : 0113 2570715

WEBSITE : www historical-novel-society freeserve .co.uk

NEWSLETTER: The society produces a weekly email newsletter, free of charge Write to Richard (histnovel @aol.com) to subscribe

RESEARCH HELPLIST : A listing of society members who are prepared to share their specialist knowledge of different areas of history Write to Celia Ellis, 8 Hunts Road, Irlams 0' Th' Height , Salford, Manchester M6 7QL. Tel 0161 281 6334

HISTORY FICTION FOLLOW HISTORY FACT?

So , what ' s been happening since the last issue? First of all Sarah Cutbertson, my predecessor, has come back as a UK reviews editor and very welcome she is too! And in the wider world it would appear that an interest in history in general is continuing to build As I put the finishing touches to this issue, BBC 2 is running a themed 'Roman' night and the Time Team is frantically digging up three important sites in Canterbury over on Channel 4 . Soon the BBC is to launch a major documentary series, A History of Britain , hot on the heels of its latest publication, BBC History Magazine

It ' s now a regular in my shopping trolley (History from Sainsbury ' s - what a tasty treat ) A recent issue not only featured historical fiction (with a plug for the HNS as well) but a look into re-enactment societies including the ' big ' event at Kirby Hall in July at which the HNS was well represented.

I can already sniff the re-kindling of historical fiction in the air but how envious I am of our members in the United States and Canada who have such a splendid selection of historical fiction to choose from. I suggest every UK member takes a good look at the US reviews and even place orders through the Internet. There ' s no better way to get UK publishers to take us seriously than to see our money going abroad!

You may also notice just how many novels set in early historical periods are available in the United States whilst thin on the ground over here. This was a complaint that came up many times in the survey Another good reason not to pass the US section by While we ' re on the subject , there has been some confusion . The headings refer to the country of publication NOT the setting for the novels

Please keep sending in your choice of favourite novels and novelists, your letters Articles up to a thousand words will also be happily considered

Finally, I haven't forgotten the library survey mentioned in the previous issue The names of those willing to take part have been noted and you WILL be

hearing from me In the meantime , should any one who hasn ' t already told me so , is willing to spare some of their time to take a critical look at the status of the historical novel in their local library and perhaps even quiz a responsible adult , then contact me .

TOWSE WAXES PHILOSOPHICAL .

This quarter ; probably in the way of an excuse for not working on my latest college assignment ; I am in a philosophical frame of mind Some of you may have followed the recent TV series by Alain de Botton on philosophy Family Harrison were much taken with ithence the current propensity to fall into quoting favourite philosophers at the drop of a hat I did think however that the following quotation from Freidrich Nietzsche was both amusing and depressing It is also absolute confirmation of the probability that if you need to write then you are likely to have sado-masochistic tendencies

'The recipe for becoming a good novelist is easy to give, but to carry it out presupposes qualities one is accustomed to overlook when one says, "I do not have enough talent ." One only has to make a hundred or so sketches for novels , none longer than two pages but of such distinctness that every word in them is necessary ; one should write down anecdotes every day until one has learnt how to give them the most pregnant and effective form ; one should be tireless in collecting and describing human types and characters ; one should above all, relate things to others and listen to others relate , keeping one's eyes and ears open for the effect produced on those present , one should travel like a landscape painter or costume designer, one should , finally, reflect on the motives of human actions, disdain no signpost for instruction about them and be a collector of these things by day and night. One should continue in this many-sided exercise for some ten years ; what is then created in the workshop will be fit to go out into the world .'

(Human, All Too Human , Nietzsche , F ., translated RJ Hollingdale, CUP, 1996 , 1. 163)

Of course once you've achieved this incredible feat , horrible people called Reviewers and Editors come along and dissect your work in a most unpleasant manner. When that happens it might be useful to remember the following anecdote that I have recently heard 'A book is like a mirror When a monkey looks in, you can be sure a wise man will not look out .'

Happy reading and writing to you all!

SARAH

MUSES ON REVIEWS AND REVIEWERS

Recently I read an article in which a disparaging reference was made to book reviewers The writer (I forget both name and journal , which is probably just as well) remarked that in his (or her) view , most reviewers used their pieces as ego-trips - to show off their own knowledge, theories , or prejudices - rather than to give the reader a considered opinion on the nature and quality of the book itself

Although I'd occasionally come across this, mainly in non-fiction reviews, I wondered at first if this particular accusation was a case of literary sour grapes - perhaps the writer was smarting from negative reviews But shortly after reading the article , I happened upon a review that exemplified at great length exactly what the writer meant.

The book in question was Deus Lo Volt ! by Evan S . Connell, which concerns the Crusades The reviewer (again whose name I've conveniently forgotten) was obviously hired because s/he was an expert on the period Buts/he had used 90% of the available space to parade his (OK, I give up) own, obviously very extensive, knowledge of the age . I was impressed , to be sure , but at the end of the review , I was no wiser about either the nature or the quality of the book. I couldn ' t even tell whether it was a novel or non-fiction

Which leads me to a question and an opinion The question is : What are book reviews for ? Having ventured to suggest what they ' re NOT for, I (coward that I am) leave you to answer that more fully than I have space to do here

The opinion is that none of our team of reviewers can be accused of the kind of egotism described above In fact , they should be congratulated on their self-effacing but opinionated generosity , skill and objectivity Whether we agree or disagree with them (which is , of course, part of the pleasure), the HNS is richer for their contributions Thanks one and all.

Letters from America

Things have picked up considerably on the US side since the last issue. The powers that be on the UK side (that is to say , Richard Lee) had given me the task of achieving comprehensive coverage of US historical fiction by the end of 2000 , and I think we ' re mighty close However , after reaching a point where all of my spare time was spent requesting publishers ' catalogues, and realizing I was on a first-name basis with the staff at my local post office, I concluded that I needed help Trudi Jacobson and Ilysa Magnus are among the very few individuals I know whose book collecting intensity rivals mine, and both are excellent reviewers They are joining me as reviews editors for the US effective immediately,

althou g h you ' ll see more of their efforts in print with the next issue We ' ve already divided up US publishers three ways and are beginning to request and receive books for Issue 14

Aside from those HNS members with whom I correspond regularly, I haven ' t heard any other comments on the US part oflssue 12 . This means that either we ' re doing something right , or nobody bothered to read it. (I'm hoping for the former) In any case, the US side oflssue 13 is a bit harder to ignore, so I hope you ' ll write in and let me, Sally, or one of the other reviews editors know what you think.

I'd also like to pose a question regarding the amount of US-published historical romance you ' d like to see reviewed here Historical romance in the US is an extremely popular genre Most of these books are published as paperback originals and are shelved separately in bookstores - away from what we ' d call ' straight ' historical fiction Few are published in UK editions, though they ' re readily available from Amazon UK and the like . Due to their overwhelming quantity (my copy of Paperback Previews for September 2000 lists over 40 such titles , excluding series romances) , HNS can ' t possibly review them all. Nor would we want to , l don ' t think

Originally I'd decided to request copies ofonly hardcover historical romances , figuring that this might help winnow down the list to some degree. Upon hearing this , reviewer Nina C. Davis, herself a Regency author, mentioned that my policy would exclude most Regency romances as well as novels from a number of talented ' midlist ' authors . I've also found it to be true that reviews in Romantic Times , the premier romance review journal in the US , tend to emphasize the positive It could be said that there ' s room for a publication that takes a more literary , critical look at historical romances On the other hand , printing costs are increasing, particularly since the Review from now on will be nearly twice its original size We have to be somewhat choosy How much US-based historical romance would you like us to include? I'd like to open up the floor for comments

Finally, a particular " hello ' to those HNS reviewers and supporters who were able to get together for a group dinner at the American Library Association annual convention in Chicago in July : Tracey Callison, Nina Davis, Trudi Jacobson, Ellen Keith, Dean Miller and wife Martha Swift, Debbie Sanford , and John Vallely . Hope you can all join us in San Francisco next year!

I have received advance information about an academic conference on The Historical Novel organised by the Popular Culture Association , to be held at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel , Market Street from April 11-14 2001. (Speakers yet to be announced.)

For further details contact : Popular Culture Association Bowling Green State University OH 43403

BOOKS, BOOKS AND YET MORE BOOKS ..... .

Imagine going into a humongous room (I'd compare it to umpteen football fields , but I actually haven ' t a clue how big a football field is , and a US football field and a European one, which we would tend to call a soccer field , probably are different sizes anyway) So just beiieve me when I saw it is very, very , very large And cvcryv,hcrc you look there arc books . A.,-,d more books Fiction for adults Non-fiction for adults Children ' s books Books on tape . Books from the big publishers Books from small, unknown publishers . American books . Books from Britain, Germany, Spain and Japan and a host of other countries.

Does it sound as if you've died and gone to heaven? Well, only if heaven is to be found in a convention center in Chicago , the site of the most recent American Library Association annual conference . These were the conference exhibits , a wonderful place to find out what has just been or is about to be published There are published copies and advance review copies to peruse , and often to take away Some firms bring hundreds of copies of certain books to give away, while others sell their books , often at a discount. Famous (and not so famous) authors come to sign their books. And on the last day of the exhibits almost all publishers sell their books at 50% off This librarian was not as smart as Sarah , who was at the exhibits in the period just before they closed down on the last day- she did indeed find heaven , as many exhibitors just abandoned their booths and left their stock for the taking!

Having responsibiiities as a HN"R editor made me view the exhibits very differently than I have in the past. This time I was looking for catalogs from the publishers I work with, and I hoped to make contacts with the people working at the booths . All of the publishers ' staff members that I spoke with were very interested in learning more about the Historical Novel Society, and they eagerly snapped up the past issues ofHNR that I had brought along . One of the women working at the Warner booth hunted through the boxes of advance reading copies they had stashed away , and found two books for me to take right then and there

In looking over the catalogs from ' my' publishers, I find that fiction set during the (American) Civil War seems to be hot-most likely a reaction to the

phenomenal sales of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Historical mysteries are also popular, and the settings range from Roman times up to the great Depression. A minor trend are books about Nazi persecution of one sort or another . Little , Brown will be publishing The Inventory by Gila Lustiger, which ' examines the ways in which the lives of ordinary citizens intersect in a society where persecution and extermination become daily ev ents ,' while Arcade Publishing is coming out with Th e K ommandant 's Mistress by Sherri Szeman, about subjugation in a Nazi concentration camp. Overall , I am very impressed by the number of serious historical novels being published in the US

The Forum

NEWS, VIEWS, YOUR LETTERS

* CITRON PRESS *

The following is an extract from an announcement in a recent copy of The Bookseller ...............

ROY AL TY ROW LEAVES SOUR TASTE FOR CITRON AUTHORS

Citron Press the publisher a.'1d book club that launched in 1998 has come under attack from its authors for failing to pay royalties Citron recently moved offices and its new premises have been empty for the past week . Its website provider said that the publishers site had been taken down due to late payment . Nobody from the Company was contactable as The Bookseller went to press .

REFERENCE COLLECTION FOR WRITERS

A member who has volunteered herself for the Research List suggests that members might like to submit a list of books they have found most helpful for a given period I would say that one or two books per contributor would be appropriate and I would be willing to collate this information . Would members who wish to contribute please send their recommendations to Mrs Celia Ellis , 8 Hunts Road , I.lams O ' Th ' Heighl , Salfo,d , Mand11::sle1 , M6 7QL. Id 0161 281 6334

I \VOuld also like to ir1form members that an updated version of the Research List is available from me (please enclose an SAF.) and invite anyone with expertise who isn ' t already on the list to join it. We hope to include a copy of the latest list and Reference Collection in issue 8 o(Solander, which comes out in November.

From Anne-Marie Gazzolo

The only criticism I have of the separate US. section is the section titles that say, 'US 19th Century' or whatever. Ifl wasn't paying attention to your intro section, I'd think the novels were set in the US in the 19th century which would cause me to pass over it. Perhaps something at the top of each page saying they are US published and then just the era in the section title like the rest of the UK section is? Otherwise, great job!

From Sylvia Broady

I am a delighted member of the HNS , What really gives me heart is to discover that the Historical Novel is not dead and that publishers are still keen . Which brings me to my point. I work for the library services in the East Riding of Yorkshire Mainly I work on a trailer library This is static from 9am to 7pm in a different village five days a week Sometimes I go out with the mobile library which visits many areas within one day . Apart from young children and teenagers on school projects, the majority of our readers are in the 40-90 age group A fair percentage of this group read historical novels And to my knowledge the historical novel have never stopped been in demand.

From Mary Tucker

I do hate to be told that I must read certain books because of my sex As one who read Dracula, aged twelve, by torchlight, I am hardly likely to be thrilled by ' romance in a long frock .'

Someone should tell that lady at World Books that women read all sorts of books, from non-fiction to science fiction, horror and whodunits, and by the same token, not all men confine their reading to Wilbur Smith I ask only one thing of any book, historical or otherwise - that it should grab my interest and keep it. As far as historical novels are concerned it seems stupid to concern oneself with froth , when there is so much to learn from the past. Romance was not something our ancestors seemed to concern themselves with and marriage, at least as far as the rich were concerned was more a matter of politics than love.

STILL SEARCHING FOR HF M PRESCOTT

In the last issue, Kate Bunting nominated The Man on a Donkey by HF M Prescott (1952) as 'one of the most distinguished historical novels of the twentieth century .' Knowing only that the author ' s first name was Hilda, Kate asked for further information

Graham Mackay has a bit more to add to the jigsaw He owns three historical novels by this author which he still enjoys reading because of her exceptional ability to

re-create the atmosphere of other peoples, times and places in history.

They are The Unhurrying Chase ( 1925) - 12th century France: The Lost Fight (1928) - France and Cyprus during the 13th century crusade and Box of Dust (1932) - Normandy in the 11th century.

Do any other members have further information, either about her books of her life?

MY FAVOURITE IDSTORICAL NOVEL

Joan Bougourd heads this issue's pick of the best with her appreciation of The Emperor's Winding Sheet by Jill Paton Walsh, first published in 1974

A young boy from Bristol survives a shipwreck and stumbles into the garden of Emperor Constantine XI The Emperor is facing the disintegration of his empire and the fall of the city that carries his name to the Muslim Turks. The filthy child seems to fulfil a prophecy which states that as long as a special boy always follows and serves Constantine all will be well So, given the name of Vrethiki (an attempt to pronounce Bristol), the boy becomes a slave Though well-treated, he hates everyone, but gradually comes to understand that his captors are also captives inside the city under siege He sees, but does not quite understand, the decay of a once great civilisation and the sad divisions between the eastern and western Christian churches

The story sweeps along without pauses for a history lesson . The characters are believable, the plot involving, the dialogue true, but without resort to artificial ' historical' speech.

Don't let the fact that this book is aimed at children put you off. It can enthral an eight-year-old and many an eighty-year-old (like me).

The Emperor's Winding Sheet is currently out of print. Log on to Jill Paton Walsh's website at www greenbay.co.uk/jpw html

Her latest novel, A Desert in Bohemia is published on September 5th 2000.by Doubleday You can read the opening pages on the website .

Patricia Payne recommends The Gay Galliard by Margaret Irwin, (1941)

The eponymous hero is James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell , as much at home at the French court where he earned his by-name as on the border hills of Scotland . (Galliard still appears in the Scots Dialect Dictionary as a lively dance or a brisk, lively young fellow ) Page two reveals the historical background of Mary Queen of Scot's cosseted life as the wife of the young King of France Her mother, Queen Dowager Marie of Guise

fights English power and English money to keep her daughter ' s throne safe Into this world of influential women swaggers James Hepburn, a man whose ancestors had an ambition to marry a widowed queen . The love story of Mary , Queen of Scots is a oft-told tale where fancifully costumed puppets move through scenes and events tailored or invented by the author.

When Margaret Irwin describes Mary Stewart 's dress , one can be certain it was taken from an inventory of the Queen ' s possessions : both research and scholarship are impeccable She bolsters accurate accounts of well-documented events by peopling them with characters so imaginatively described , the painted canvas in the portrait gallery lives and moves. The unbalanced Earl of Arran with eyes like protruding bits of glass , John Knox with his inordinately long beard and full , red lips, a ripe plum in a furze bush and Catherine de Medici, her cold and glossy eyes brown, blank and opaque as chestnuts.

Margaret Irwin's books are too good to be forgotten.

THESAGA

Freda Lightfoot speaks for the defence

When attempting to define the historical novel, how tempting to simply consider the kind we ourselves read , and scorn everything else Yet the historical novel comes in many guises and sub-genres. Whether it is a light period romance, casually dismissed as ' romance in frocks', no matter what the accuracy of the research or wit of the writing; naval adventure yarns with gung-ho heroes ; Roman legions; medieval detectives lurking in shadowed, stinking doorways ; or an epic journey through time, there is surely room to please all tastes .

When Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind she was writing about events of only 60- 70 years before, yet the book has always been classed as historical fiction, even when it was published in 1936 Why then is it so often said that a WW Two saga is not historical?

Let me pin my own flag to the mast. I write sagas. In my case the Lake District and Manchester during the first half of the twentieth century For this type of fiction to work well it should not be possible for the story to have taken place at any other time , or in any other place Yes , there is often a love story involved , though this is rarely the overriding theme of the plot. Yes , it involves relationships. But to see it simply in this light would be to trivialise the important contribution regional sagas make. These are multi-viewpoint stories which take on such subjects as class, the position of women, the history of domestic life , the development of a region or city, social injustice and the gloriously proud , though sometimes shameful history of British industry in all its forms

The saga bears this name for a very good reason Just as the old Norse tales were handed down through the ages by word of mouth, this genre also is concerned with the telling of oral history . I can rarely consult a standard work on the subject I am writing about ; and since I was only a toddler during WW Two , cannot rely entirely upon my own memories I begin by talking to people who either can recall such times themselves , or retell that of their own parents or siblings . And what joy it is to listen to these stories, so real , so personal , so vividly recalled and rarely recorded anywhere else For The Bobbin Girls, for instance, I interviewed three retired bobbin workers and drank in everything they could tell me about the process, as well as being entertained by tales of their pranks , their aching backs and freezing fingers, and the dangers of operating machinery before any safety regulations were in place. And then there were the coppicemen and foresters who spent hours explaining to me their craft deep in Grizedale Forest. What a privilege and a joy that was

Memories are fallible of course and facts need to be checked against documentary evidence such as newspaper reports , letters , diaries , biographies, as well as consultations with bodies such as The Forestry Commission and Friends of the Lake District. By the time I was ready to start writing the novel I could have taken a degree in the effects of afforestation upon the Lake District But my reader doesn't want a treatise She ( or he , for I have many male fans too) wants a compelling, page-turning story and that's what I give them If I use only I 0% of the material I've collected it doesn't worry me, because my knowledge of the remaining 90% gives me the confidence to tackle the subject and brings a sense of reality to the work

Writing rural sagas also demands an investigation of natural history , geography, geology and topography My farm or village might be fictional but the mountains , forests and lakes have to be entirely accurate ; the walks my heroine takes actually trodden by me The flowers must be in season , the birds on their migratory flights south from Scandinavia carefully checked . The agricultural law of the period must be studied , also

weather reports. Nothing can be fudged , because unlike Medieval times, someone will remember. I have studied the water industry , hand knitting, sheep farming, the Lakes steamers, travelling theatre, and customs and traditions by the score . All of this must be set into the wider world and the behaviour of my characters commensurate with their times

My Manchester Sagas are slightly different. The gritty northern street saga has its own requirements, format and boundaries and usually concerns a strong woman fighting against the poverty of her surroundings, as well as the trials and tribulations of the times in which she lives . This type of story attracts the most patronising reviews , often from young journalists south of the Mersey who , apart from rarely having read the book, have never heard the deafening clatter of a weaving mill , tasted the soot from its chimneys, been down a pit or worn a pair of clogs in their life, therefore conclude that such matters are pure fantasy on the part of the writer. Nothing could be further from the truth

My family have been weavers (or websters as they were called) for generations on both sides of the Pennines, and I have vivid memories of my own grandmother black-leading her range and donkey-stoning her doorstep Although she was poor, she was clean Therein lay her dignity . She would tell how my grandfather, confined to a wheelchair couldn't work so, in addition to caring for her children, one of whom was scalded to death while in the care of a child minder , she minded her six looms throughout a long working week, sang ' I Shall not Want' three times every Sunday in chapel while worrying about what to find for tea

If the telling of this country's history cannot include women like her, then it will be a poorer place. That , to me , is what history is all about People.

Freda was born in Lancashire and now lives in south Lakeland. Her latest novel, Polly's War, the sequel to Manchester Pride is published in paperback on September 7th. Previous novels are published by Severn House and Hodder & Stoughton and include : Lakeland Lily and The Bobbin Girls ..

WHY I WRITE IDSTORICAL NOVELS

(Part 2)

Janet Wright Matthews uses history to illuminate the present

There are only two reasons to write historical fiction. Those who wish to throw light on the past are those writers who write ' true ' historical fiction , such as Robert Graves ' / Claudius . Through fiction, these authors attempt to explain the personalities and events of the past

to a present-day audience with a different set of beliefs and expectations

I am a writer of the second sort , who hopes, by showing what the past was like, to throw light on today . Whatever their dress and language, people are the same underneath We have the same basic concerns today as our ancestors did. Like them we rage against injustice or worry about how to pay the bills . Like them we can come to loathe the man we married or suddenly lose our source of income .

The real difference is the options open to us when these universal events occur. If you could no longer support yourself in Victorian times the choice was between starvation or the workhouse If you hated your husband there was virtually no divorce and before the Married Women ' s Property Act all a wife ' s goods became her husband's upon marriage .

Such terrible consequences throw the character ' s dilemma into stark relief and add to the drama of the story, something which writers are always searching to do Having your livelihood ruined by someone else ' s criminality is bad enough but what do you do if you have no recourse to the law?

By writing about situations such as these I hope , in the course of a fast-moving story, to think about the difference between life now and in the past and to appreciate how much life has changed and, in general , improved.

As for wanting to live in the periods I write about -I tum off the computer in my centrally heated room each evening with a feeling of relief that I am living in the twenty-first century

Janet 's latest no vel, Oouds Before the Sun is publish ed by Severn House and was reviewed in Issue 12

Patricia Payne writes historical fiction because it is one way to say to learned academics: 'I beseech you ..... that ye may be mistaken.'

Alerted to the gap between reality and universally received record of past events by a letter in the Berwickshire News, I discovered amazing stories hidden behind historical events. The letter demanded that Berwick on Tweed be returned to Scotland on the anniversary of its annexation to England by Edward I in 1296 . (Terrible massacre , 17, 000 dead in the streets, order restored after 24 hours when the king saw a woman giving birth in the gutter and a priest, carrying the pyx, begging for mercy.)

Hold on, I thought. The present population of Berwick is only 12, 000 How long would it take to massacre so many people?

A shelf of Scottish history books repeated both account and numbers , but quoted the Lanercost Chronicle as source . This is in Latin , but I found a late

nineteenth century facsimile with accompanying English translation.

There were two authors in 1296. One was the cloistered monk who wrote , ' ln this year did our Lord, the King take Berwick from the Scots,' the other a Dominican friar based in the Berwick Friary, but for some reason he was an eyewitness of the siege and capture The Friary was on the northern edge of Berwick, close to where the English swarmed in over a neglected ditch, bank and palisade .

He writes : 'The first we knew was when looters , very quick, very expert, ran through the building carrying off everything we had .' No threat of violence Then came the oft-quoted details Despite the huge casualty list , 'the next morning many women and children lamenting sorely left the town for Scotland .' The castle of Berwick had surrendered upon terms and without casualties Presumably they marched out with civilians tagging behind 'Meanwhile,' continues the brother, ' our Lord the King hired men at a penny a day to dig a deeper ditch .' Here there is a subtle shift in the Latin He has forgotten something, 'and to bury the many dead killed by the sword and great fire. '

There was a fire along the riverside The Flemings' trading complex, The Red House , burned down According to the brother, the women of Berwick started it by throwing fire upon English ships coming up river

So what constituted a terrible medieval massacre?

For comparison, l thought I would look at the infamous sack ofLimoges in 1370, 74 years later and well-documented on both French and English sides This was the episode when Edward, the Black Prince was held, ' not to have acted as became so noble a knight .'

The Bishop of Limoges, once friend and ally and godfather to little Prince William , suddenly supported the French, to the Prince ' s fury According to popular history , nether man, woman or child remained alive in Limoges and I rather think the unfortunate maternity case made her ritual appearance here too.

In hard fact, Limoges surrendered without loss on either side as the bishop slammed the gates of his fortified palace. This was duly stormed by the English and 80 men plus officers of the Bishop ' s guard backed into a comer of the courtyard and stood at bay.

Up strolled the English 'Let us exchange a few blows then go to dinner. Ye have done all man can .' These men knew each other . They had spent a recent Christmas together in the bishop ' s palace. Meanwhile, the bishop was hauled before the Prince and after fine speeches on both sides was dragged away to be beheaded (Oddly enough , the same bishop turns up three years later living a rather retiring Life in Rome with his head still in place.)

Things then got out of hand as looters tried to get their hands on the episcopal riches . Owing to the confined nature of the site one church had the task of burying the dead The total was 'about 350 ' , suggesting

overnight tidying up, mass graves and some confusion The dead would include those who fell on both sides when the palace was stormed, plus looters , civilians and clerical casualties Bad enough and the Black Prince never lived down the stain on his honour .

So where do historical fact and fiction begin and end and why did the Dominican Brother tell such an exaggerated account of the capture of Berwick? Remember the looters who stripped the Priory? The brothers would be in for a very cold winter unless the charitable gave alms

Touch hearts to open heartstrings - And don't believe everything you read .

Pamela Payne's novel Pitsligo's Daughter is published by Citron Press and was reviewed in Issue 12.

Jane Jakeman likes to find parallels to contemporary life

One of the great services the HNS performs is to make writers re-evaluate their work and their innermost reasons for writing it. In my case, recent discussions in these pages have made me think much more deeply about my ' Lord Ambrose Malfine' series of historical crime novels, set in the early 1830s

The question of why I write historical novels is really part of the ' what is history?' debate. I simply don ' t agree with L P Hartley that, 'the past is another country; they do things differently there .' Time is surely only one aspect of the separation between one human being and another. There are other gulfs, gaps offeeling, thought , belief, which are far wider than chronology I would find myself amid an absolutely alien society in, for example, America's Bible Belt, since I am a sceptical atheist.

The mere fact that people are my contemporaries doesn ' t necessarily constitute any real bond between us , yet one can read diaries and letters written two hundred years ago and feel a closeness to the writer .

There are other factors determining sympathetic involvement . I am by nature an urban person and once spent a wretched few months in an ' idyllic ' Swiss village in comparison with which the slums of eighteenth century London would have been my earthly paradise (And don't give me that 'what about modem medicine? bit - painkillers are actually far more restricted in our society than they ever have been in the past and cancer is as extensive a killer as most episodes of disease )

The historical novelist ' s real task is not to choose a period from the 'outside' because it is fashionable or the publishers think it will sell well or even because you have studied it. It is to embody in words a period with which you feel in sympathy - an era with assumptions , dilemmas and attitudes that reflect your own Of course, you can only deal with aspects of the times you have chosen - a

writer must deal in particularities, in specific people with the quirkiness of individuals Nevertheless, there are some general identifiable cultural currents in which your imagination may or may not want to swim.

It is for this reason that I set the ' Lord Ambrose' novels in the early 1830s. It is a period which has seen a social change very close to one I have myself lived through (And this next sentence is going to be a determined defence of an era much-mocked by those who cannot emulate its creativity.)

The prevalent culture of the nineteen-sixties and seventies, egalitarian, open and idealistic abruptly gave way to the greedy authoritarianism of Thatcher and we seem doomed to suffer continued moral nannying from Tony Blair Much the same thing happened in the world of the late eighteenth century as predominately Regency values gave way to a prosy clerical Victorianism .

I feel too close to my own age to write about it to get the necessary perspective, but I can do so by finding a parallel in the past. In the first book of my series, Let There Be Blood , George IV had just died and with him the last whiff of the Regency William IV was on the throne and in the distance loomed the shadow of the young Victoria Already the moral climate is changing, even before she has become the icon of the new era, to a serious-minded conformist sensibility, one of ponderous fun and intense sexual anxiety ' Victorian values,' are not something we perceive only in retrospect. My hero , Ambrose Malfine, is an idealist who , in his youth, fought for the cause of Greek independence : a natural rebel , tolerant and radical in his sympathies, I have pictured someone like Lord Byron, an admirer of Shelley and Godwin who , instead of dying in far-flung parts, recovers and returns to a country which has rapidly changed its tune and where his rational liberalism no longer seems to have a place

There is a fascinating social history , which I would recommend to anyone interested in this question Before Victoria by Muriel Jaeger is about this particular dramatic reversal in values, describing, for example, the older ladies who in their Regency youth had openly read smart French novels were in later life only able to peruse them secretly in their rooms for fear of shocking the younger members of their families

In my books, Ambrose ' s immediate reaction to the new world in which he finds himself on his return to Britain is to withdraw and live as a recluse But he has to come to terms with the new order, to function in the new society and thus the solving of a murder which involves him in local life is also part of an inner resolution for him

Murder is the most powerful of events - one which can compel any member of society, even someone who has opted out to play his or her part and that is what happens to Ambrose, (Although he will never learn to be polite to parsons ) As far as historical crime goes, the history is not enough - it cannot be added as top-dressing , but must be part of an internal process of

change and discovery as much as the story of the crime itself

Apart from identification with some of its pre-occupations, the other important thing about writing ' inside ' an era is that an historical novelist should passionately love some thing about the physical world of their historical period. Writing a novel is a major undertaking and the writer must have things to turn to , things which give joy during the long process .

I love the architecture and the furniture of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, their classical inspiration and light grace (I keep a scrapbook of paintings, dresses and designs to look at and be inspired by) and have equally strong feelings of repugnance towards the dark, cluttered pseudo-Gothic taste which succeeded it.

So the reason I have set my hero ' s lifespan between the seventeen eighties and the eighteen forties is because I feel drawn temperamentally to that period and because it engages me at a deep personal level. I couldn ' t write a novel set bang in the middle of the high Victorian era because I dislike the mores of that age so much , both morally and aesthetically .

At the moment I'm writing a book set in 1900 , another of those ' between two worlds' eras I love the modern bits - the telephones, condoms, motor-cars - they keep me going as I get out of all those awful bonnets

Jan e is an author , newspaper columnist and radio broadca s ter. Her 'Lord Ambrose · series of historical crim e novels, Let there be Blood, The Egyptian Coffin and Fool 's Gold were published by Headline in 199 7/ 9 She has an Oxford doctorate in Is lamic Art his tory She a lso has a degree in E nglish and worked at both the A shmolean Museum and the Bodlean Library in Oxford We lsh by birth, she live s in Oxford with h er Egyptologist husband.

Sally Zigmond investigates the success of Elizabeth Peters and her series of historical crime novels , featuring the redoubtable sleuth, Miss Amelia Peabody

In this job you come to take publishers ' press releases with a heavy pinch of salt. So when I read such quotes as : A writer so popular that the public library has to keep her books under lock and key or if Indiana Jone s were female, a wife and a mother who lived in Victorian time s, he would be Amelia Peabody then like the formidable lady herself, I had to make get to the bottom of this mystery.

The first witness to help me with my enquiries wasUS co-ordinating editor of the HNS , Sarah Nesbeitt She

told me that my information was correct. ' Elizabeth Peters is really that popular here ,' she confirmed It was time to make further enquiries

I soon learned that she was operating under several pseudonyms . Her real name is Barbara Mertz As Barbara Michaels, her gothic suspense novels are also popular. (and published in the UK by Robert Hale.) But it is as Elizabeth Peters that she has achieved her stranglehold on the American historical crime fiction scene.

Flicking through other information received from professional sources, I was surprised to discover she has been writing books about the crime-solving archaeologist, Amelia Peabody for twenty-five years

So , who is this Amelia Peabody? Elizabeth Peters herself says, ' since I first sent this Victorian gentlewoman and busybody off to Egypt , she has acquired a husband, a son, an entire entourage offriends and assistants, including a butler who wields a cudgel as handily as he does a roast. ' I deduced from this that she is no shrinking violet and that she has accomplices I also suspect that despite her confession that she packed off Amelia to the deserts of Egypt the author is rather fond of this stubborn and inquisitive lady .

The next mystery I needed to solve was what gave Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Mertz, the authority to write historical crime thrillers about an English archaeologist who dug around Egypt at the end of the 19th and beginning of the twentieth centuries

I checked out her credentials. A Grandmaster of the Mystery Writers of America Impressive, huh? But that's not all. A quick check of her life story uncovered that the was born in Illinois and studied Egyptology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago . Unfortunately, opportunities for young women with doctorates in Egyptology being somewhat limited in the middle of the twentieth century Barbara devoted herself to marriage and motherhood and took to reading mystery stories. Pretty soon she wanted to write one herself, which she did, but ' it was awful ,' she admits After this failure she wrote two non-fiction books on Ancient Egypt under her own name, which are still in print today! Then she began to write successful mystery novels under

the name of Barbara Michaels It was inevitable that , sooner or later, both aspects of her expertise would combine and come to fruition in the Amelia Peabody novels

I concluded that Peter ' s unique combination of mystery writing skills and her knowledge of all things Egyptian accounts for her appeal and her readability

So much for the writer. I still needed to corroborate this claim of her popularity I turned to the Internet First of all I came across the fan website , www barbaramichaels com which is a feast of information and exchange of news and views I also unearthed www crescentblues com which contained an informative interview with the author when I was online . There are many more - just search for Elizabeth Peters

In fact , so much is out there on her, that I could only conclude that she does indeed has a massive and well-deserved following in America .

That left me with one final task - one I had , I admit , been putting off. To read the latest Amelia Peabody adventure , Thunder in the Sky A tough job , but hey, someone had to do it.

I realised then that I should have done this from the outset. Witty and fast-paced , with a many-stranded plot , the action never let up I was with Amelia all the way , up the alleys of Cairo, down among the pyramids, I am now hooked I am sure you will be too

One mystery remains however. Why is the latest Amelia Peabody novel called He Shall Thunder in the Sky in America and Thunder in the Sky in the UK? My enquiries continue .. . ..

Elizabeth Peter's Egyptian series are published in the United States by William Morrow and in the UK by Constable/Robinson

Available in the UK are The Falcon at the Portal, The Curse of the Pharaohs , The Crocodile on the Sandbank and Thunder in the Sky)

The complete series in chronological order is as follows . All novels are available in the UK through www Amazon com

The Crocodile on the Sandbank

The Curse of the Pharaohs

The Mummy Case

The Lion in the Valley

The Deeds of the Disturber

The Last Camel Died at Noon

The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog

The Hippopotamus Pool

Seeing a Large Cat

The Ape who Guards the Balance

The Falcon at the Portal

(He Shall) Thunder in the Sky (reviewed on page 2 7)

UK TITLES

CLASSICAL GREECE

Holt Tom, Olympiad

Pressfield Steven , Tides of War

SECOND CENTURY BC

Leckie Ross , Carthage

BIBLICAL

Wangerin Walter, Paul-a novel

FIRST CENTURY AD

Davis Lindsey, Ode to a Banker Scarrow Simon , Under the Eagle Wishart David, The Horse Coin

SECOND CENTURY

Rowe Rosemary, A Pattern of Blood

FIFTH CENTURY

Frankland Edward, Arthur the Bear of Britain Hunter Jim, Percival and the Presence of God

Mitchison Naomi , To the Chapel Perilous

SIXTH CENTURY

Stewart John, The Last Romans

SEVENTH CENTURY

Harris Christopher, Theodore

MEDIEVAL (GENERAL)

Connell !Evan S, Deus Lo Volt!

ELEVENTH CENTURY

Dalby Liza , The Tale of Murasaki

TWELFTH CENTURY

Moore Viviane , Blue Blood

FOURTEENTH CENTURY

Gregory Susanna, A Masterly Murder Jinks Catherine, The Inquisitor

FIFTEENTH CENTURY

Dunnett Dorothy , Gemini Irwin Robert, The Arabian Nightmare Rathbone Julian, Kings of Albion

SIXTEENTH CENTURY

Filippini Sierge, The Man in Flames Gooden Philip , Sleep of Death Madsen David, Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

Marston Edward, King ' s Evil Marston Edward, The Amorous Nightingale

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

de Kretser Michelle, The Rose Grower

Dunbar Inga , Barbara Pitcairn

Palliser Marcus , Devil of a Fix Parkinson Dan, The Fox and the Flag

NINETEENTH CENTURY

Edric Robert, The Book of the Heathen

Ellis Delia , Spa Partners

Gilling Tom, The Sooterkin

Hill Pamela , The Gods Return

Hutchinson Meg, Pit Bank Wench

lapin Arthur, The Two Hearts ofKwasi Boachi

Jeffrey Elizabeth, To be a Fine Lady

Kaye Gillian, A Disgraceful Deceit

Lunn Jonathan, Killigrew RN

Malet Oriel , Marjory Fleming

Morazzoni Marta , The Alphonse Courrier

Affair

Myerson Julie , Laura Blundy

O ' Brian Patrick, Hussein

Pearce Michael , The Dragoman ' s Story

Poolman Jeremy, My Kind of America

Salter Linden, The Lady and the Luddite

Stickland Caroline, The Kindly Ones

Watson RE, In Place of Honour

Whitrnere , The Thriving Thom

TWENTIETH CENTURY

Armitage Aileen, A Winter Serpent

Baker Anne, Liverpool Lies

BlmJfy Mik16s , They Were Found Wanting

Bingham Charlotte , The Blue Note

Blair Emma , Wild Strawberries

Boucheron Rose, A Secret in the Family

Brown Benita , A Dream of her Own

Bukowski Charles , Ham on Rye

Burgh Anita , Clare ' s War

Findley Timothy, Pilgrim

Gee Sue, Earth and Heaven

Ghosh Amitav, The Glass Palace

Harrison Kathryn, The Binding Chair

Harry Lilian, Corner House Girls

Hood Evelyn, The Shimmer of the Herring

Hutchinson Meg, Child of Sin

Janes J Robert , Mannequin

Janes J Robert, Dollrnaker

Jeal Tim, Deep Water

Lee Maureen, Dancing in the Dark

McCoy Ken, Hope Street

Marks Annie , Daughter ofTrernar

Moran Thomas , The Man in the Box

Murphy Theresa , Christ in Khaki

Murray Annie , Poppy Day

O ' Doherty Brian, The Deposition ofFather McGreevy

Paver Michelle, Without Charity

Peters Elizabeth, Thunder in the Sky

Roberts Michele, The Looking-Glass

Robinson Peter, In a Dry Season

Stead C K, Talking about O ' Dwyer

TIMESLIP

Hawke Richard , Eye of the Warrior

Robertson James , The Fanatic

Sararnago Jose , The History of the Siege of Lisbon

MULTI-PERIOD

Bradbury Malcolm, To the Hermitage

Rutherford Edward , The Forest

Thomas D M, Charlotte

FANTASY

Kay Guy Gavriel , Lord of Emperors

McCormack, Albion: The White Phantom

Marillier Juliet, Daughter of the Forest

SHORT STORIES

Ashley Mike led) , The Mammoth Book of Sword and Honour

Barone Alexander, The Human Kind

NON-FICTION

Beatty Laura , Lillie Langtry, Manners, Masks and Morals

Blond Anthony, A Scandalous History of the Roman Emperors

Choedak Tenzin, The Rainbow Palace

Gillman Peter & Leni , The Wildest Dream

Leapman Michael The Ingenious Mr Fairchild

Philbrick Nathaniel , In the Heart of the Sea

Pitts Mike , Hengeworld

Richardson Geoffi-ey, The Deceivers

Watson Kathy , The Crossing

CHILDREN'S

Booth Martin, P O. W.

Childs Rob, Time Rangers: A Whale of a Time

Dickinson Clive , The Lost Diary of Tutankharnun ' s Mummy

Dickinson Peter, The Kin-Nob ' s Story

Hughes Mair Wynn, The Copper Crust

Lane Sheila, The Riddle Girl

Lewis Sian, Smoke in the Tunnel

Pentangle Brian, Bentlev' s Chronicle

Sheehan Laurie, Chimney Child

White Kirsty , Stranger in the Glen

US TITLES

• - for review, see UK section

PRE-IDSTORY

Bruchac Joseph., The Waters Between Chamberlin Ann, Leaving Eden

BIBLICAL

Edghill India , Queenrnaker

Rivers Francine , Unveiled

ANCIENT EGYPT

Gedge Pauline, The Hippopotamus Marsh

CLASSICAL

Bradshaw Gillian, The Sand-Reckoner

FIRST CENTURY

Garwood Haley Eliz.a beth., Ashes of Britannia

Mills James , Memoirs of Pontius Pilate

SIXTH CENTURY

• Frankland Edward , Arthur , the Bear of Britain

MEDIEVAL (GENERAL)

• Connell Evan S., Deus Lo Volt!

TENTH CENTURY

Garwood Haley Eliz.abeth, Swords Across the Thames

Yehoshua A B ., A Journey to the End of the Millennium

ELEVENTH CENTURY

• Dalby Liz.a, The Tale of Murasaki Mirsk.--y Stuart , The King ofVinland ' s Saga

TWELFTH CENTURY

GaIWood Haley Eliz.abeth, The Forgotten Queen

Ryan Patricia , The Sun and the Moon

FIFTEENTH CENTURY

Weinstein Lewis , The Heretic

SIXTEENTH CENTURY

Donati Sara , Dawn on a Distant Shore

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

Gaspar de Alba Alicia , Sor Juana ' s Second Dream

Lewis Stephen , The Blind in Darkness Rowland Laura Joh, The Samurai ' s Wife

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Alleyn Susanne, A Far Better Rest Beverley Jo , Devilish

• de Kretser, Michelle, The Rose Grower

Hudson Joyce Rock.,.,,ood , Apalachee

Judd Cameron , The Overmountain Men

Miles Margaret , No Rest for the Dove Petsinis Tom , The French Malhematician

Walther Anne Newton , A Time for Trea son

NINETEENTH CENTURY

Adamson Mary Jo , The Blazing Tree

Alvarez Julia, In the Name of Salome

Andrews Beth., The Marplot Marriage

Bahr Howard, The Black Flower

Bahr Howard, The Year of Jubilo

Baldwin Rebecca , Peerless Theodosia

Barron Stephanie, Jane and the Genius of the Place

Blake Sarah., Grange House

Ehrlich Ev, Grant Speaks

Hambly Barbara , Graveyard Dust

Hambly Barbara , Sold Down the River

Harrigan Stephen, The Gates of the Alamo

Heath Lorraine , Texas Glory

Jakes John, On Secret Service

James Eloisa , Potent Pleasures

James Eloisa , Midnight Pleasures

Kilian Michael , Murder at Manassas

King Laurie R., 0 Jerusalem

Lent Jeffrey, In the Fall

Levy JoAnn, For California ' s Gold

Linderman Frank Bird, Henry Plummer

Mallon Thomas , Two Moons

Mccunn Ruthanne Lum, Wooden Fish Songs

Monfredo Miriam Grace, Must the Maiden Die

Morgan Robert , Gap Creek

Murray Earl, In the Arms of the Sky

Nissenson Hugh, Tree of Life

O ' Nan Stewart, A Prayer for the Dying

Paige Robin, Death at Whitechapel

Parry Richard , That Fateful Lightning

Petrick Neila Skinner, Jane Long of Texas

1798-1880

Porter Cheryl Anne , Prairie Song

Reasoner James , Manassas

Reasoner James , Shiloh

Reasoner James , Antietam

Reed John, A Still Small Voice

Reid Van, Cordelia Underwood

Russell Josh, Yellow Jack

Saylor Steven, A Twist at the End

Shaara Jeff, Gone for Soldiers

Stevens Rosemary, Death on a Silver Tray

Strauss Darin , Chang and Eng

Thorn James Alexander, Sign-Talker

Welch James , The Heartsong of Charging Elk Woodworth Deborah., A Simple Shaker Murder

TWENTIETH CENTURY

Blake James Carlos , Red Grass River : A Legend

Dalton David , Been Her and Gone

Darns Jeanne M ., Red White and Blue Murders

Isherwood Justin, Christmas Stones and the Story Chair

Jones Nancy J., Molly

Kilgo James , Daughter of My People

King Benjamin, The Loki Project

L ' Amour Loui s, Off the Mangrove Coast

Levine Allan , The Blood Libel

MacLeod Alistair, No Great Mischief

Meade Glenn, The Sands of Sakkara

Palmer Elizabeth., The Dark Side of the Sun

Sanchez Thomas , Day of the Bees

Seymour Miranda , The Summer of ' 39

Silko Leslie Marmon, Gardens in the Dunes

Smith Mary Sanders , June

Thompson Victoria , Murder on St. Mark ' s

Place

Weber Christin Lore, Altar Music

Whitley Stuart James , A Reckoning of Angels

Wilson Susan, Hawke ' s Cove

MULTI-PERIOD

Gear Kathleen O ' Neal and W Michael Gear, The Summoning God

Gutcheon Beth, More Than You Know

Leffiand Ella , Breath and Shadows

Moring Marcel , In Babylon

Newman Sharan , ed ., Crime Thru Time III

• Rutherfurd Edward, The Forest

Ryan Arliss , The Kingsley House

FANTASY

Chamberlin Ann, The Merlin of St. Gilles Well

Hunter Jim, Percival and the Presence of God

Jakober Marie , The Black Chalice

• Marillier Juliet, Daughter of the Forest Roessner Michaela , The Stars Compel

NONFICTION

Murph Roxane C., The English Civil War and lhe Restoration in Fiction

I UK TITLES I

The structure of this saga is fustly to introduce us to the narrator's grandfather,

Jason, who remembers Alcibiades as the 'boldest' and 'most brilliant' of men , and Titles are classified by period and then alphabetically by author surname.

CLASSICAL GREECE

OLYMPIAD

Tom Holt, Little Brown , £16 99 , hb , 368pp

ISBN 0-316-85390-9

A Phoenician trader is the guest of Palamedes in Elis and is soon wishing he was not. In demonstrating the superiority of his countrymen's practice of storing facts by making squiggles on wax instead of relying on memory , he falls into the hands of two relentless storytellers, the elderly brothers, Cleander and Cratus. They proceed to demonstrate their own infallible memories , turn by turn recounting in remorseless detail the great adventure of their youth

King Leon of Elis had a son who was useless at everything except running races. Races were only run at the funeral games of great men, which was seldom How to give the boy more opportunities to win the hearts and minds of the King's subjects? Cleander has a great idea : by having the games without the funeral . Not in Elis, but at Olympia close by. Cleander and Cratus with three companions are despatched to visit the cities of Greece where they are to persuade or coerce all their best games-players to attend King Leon's festival of games-without-a funeral. This is Tom Holt on top form so readers will know that if anything can possibly go wrong , it will.

Like The Walled Orchard and Alexander At The World's End Tom Holt's third historical novel is set in Ancient Greece but at a slightly earlier period. Olympiad shows his sprightly imagination deftly controlled with a dry humour that never threatens to become facetious. Be prepared to shed tears of laughter and throughly enjoy the pleasures of the very first Olympic Games

TIDES OF WAR

Nancy Henshaw

Steven Pressfield, Doubleday, 2000 , £9 99 , pb , 427pp , ISBN 0 385 601646

Also published by Random House Australia , New Zealand and South Africa 'An epic novel of Alcibiades and the Peloponnesian War From the author of the bestseller, Gates of Fire. ' If praise for that novel is anything to go by then Tides of War should be a big one .

Socrates as undoubtedl y the 'noblest'. Jason's life spanned the twenty-seven year Spartan or Peloponnesian War which ended with the capitulation of Athens in 404 BC So the stage is set for the scenes of Greek tragedy. Before the War , Sparta and Athens held great mutual respect due to allied exertions which prevented Persia from taking over Greece Young Athenians were despatched to Sparta for training The two cities were the pre-eminent powers in Greece.

'Summer was the time of war; in Sparta men didn't even have a word for summer; they called it strateionon, campaigning season.' So while the fellas were busying themselves training for fighting, what did the girls get up to? sacrificing their most cherished possessions , their maidenhood and name of virtue. to succour their beleaguered countrymen.' At nineteen , Alcibiades is as horny as the rest of the other guys , and being a hunk, the women are all over him He goes on to become a pretty nifty battlefield commander, too; becoming the pivotal figure in the War. So the battles commenced again and again. Alcibiades was allegedly never defeated . But his manner rubbed up people the wrong way , resulting in political rivals in Athens , who signed his death warrant.

The author tells us this is fiction not history . Either way he certainly knows his Thucydides from his Aristophanes.

Sarah Crabtree

I SECOND CENTURY BC I

CARTHAGE

Ross Leckie , Canongate, 2000 , £14.99 , hb , 209pp, ISBN 0 86241 944 l

This is the last of Ross Leckie ' s Carthaginian trilogy (see Hannibal, Review August 1998 and Scipio, May 1998 and December 1999). Told entirely in excerpts - some very shortfrom journals, letters and memoirs, this version of the fall of Carthage probably breaks several rules of fiction It also takes a few minor liberties with history , as the author freely admits. For example, the date of the third Punic War is moved back to allow its two main protagonists to be the fictitious bastard sons of Hannibal and Scipio, who led the second A stretch, to be sure , but a dramatically fitting one.

No matter. The story is utterly convincing, the politicking lethal , the violence extreme, the end appalling But Leckie never loses sight of the human cost. He is a skilful writer who knows how to paint character with a few

well-chosen words and create breathtaking effects in powerful, disciplined prose To tell such a big story in so brief a novel and leave it gripping the imagination long after the last page is turned makes for an impressive achievement.

Sarah Cuthbertson

BIBLICAL

PAUL-A NOVEL

Walter Wangerin , Lion, 2000 , £16 99. hb 445 pp , ISBN 0745939279

This is the story of St Paul , told by some of the people who knew him throughout his life

My main problem with it is that I didn't find that their voices varied enough and Wangerin has a tendency to swmg from Biblical language to modem colloquialism and expect the reader to imagine that they both came from the same person The antique language distances us from the story and the modernisms don ' t ring quite true - something in between would have served best.

This apart, there is often an immediacy about the telling which brings it all to life and this is certainly an exhaustive retelling of St Paurs eventful life. It successfully recreates the sights and sounds of the Middle East two thousand years ago and makes the people seem real, even more so I found when they are being described rather than taking their turn at being the narrator This is a difficult subject to do well and a tremendous lot to write about and Wangerin manages it all with skill and inspiration ; a pity about the less expertly handJed narrative device.

Rachel A Hyde

FIRST CENTURY AD

ODE TO A BANKER

Lindsey Davis , Century, 2000 , £15.99 , hb , 305pp , ISBN 0- 7126-8034-9

This is the 12th title featuring the hero Marcus Didius Falco .

Jt is the long hot summer of AD74 Falco is giving a poetry reading for family and friends. The event is taken over by Aurelius Chrysippus , a wealthy Greek banker and patron of struggling writers He offers to publish Falco's work. A visit to the Chrysippus scriptorium implicates Falco in a gruesome literary murder There are numerous other entanglements Will all the problems be resolved? Probably! But how? The climax is very exciting.

Lindsey Davis writes with a clear, easy to read English style laced with both insight and humour. The plot ably explores the Roman banking and publishing worlds using satire to

underpin the quick-moving drama Like all the previous Falco novels , high stol)'-telling ability is displayed and combined with a profound , but lightly applied, knowledge of Roman histol)' Lindsey Davis' numerous fans will be delighted with the latest Falco offering Ken Cosgrove

UNDER THE EAGLE

Simon Scarrow, Headline , 2000 , £17 99 , hb , 246pp, ISBN O 7472 7282 4

With the successful TV adaptations of Hornblower and Sharpe, the general public has an increasing perception of histol)' as a vehicle for action/adventure stories This tale of the Roman army seems to be an attempt to broaden this trend In fact , Under the Eagle is a lot like Sharpe with a gladius instead of a baker rifle . Even though it's nicely timed (with Gladiator doing so well at the box office) , this is a brave commission by Headline , as Under the Eagle is a first novel.

The main protagonist is one Quintus Licinius Cato He was leading a happy life as a slave in the Imperial Palace until he had the misfortune to be freed on condition that he joins the Second Legion and helps to invade Britain

So what we have here is a new recruit drama , and this is the problem l was left with the impression that it could quite easily have been set in any army of any period Like a lot of what might be termed ' populist" historical fiction, Mr Scarrow has his characters use present-day idiom and slang This allows the modern reader to identify quickl y with the characters , but it also makes it more difficult to get period ' feer. I spotted a few historical inaccuracies too , and rm not a classical buff It ' s entertaining enough , but a bit lightweight. Martin Bourne

THE HORSE COIN

David Wishart , Flame (Hodder & Stoughton) , 2000 , £6 99 , pb , 29lpp , ISBN O340 71531 6 60AD Leaving behind his sleuth Corvinus , David Wishart transports us to Britain at the time of the Boudicca revolt Severinus , newly-appointed commander of a Roman cavall)' unit , is ordered to join the Governor ' s army in its campaign to destroy the HQ of the subversive Druids in Wales. Meanwhile , back in East Anglia - well , you know the story Here it forms the backdrop to a tale told from both Roman and British sides , with Severinus and a Celtic chieftain·s daughter as main characters whose lives are tragically disrupted by the revolt. An identical comment from each one first visiting the other ' s town neatly encapsulates the cultural gulf that runs as a theme through the novel : ' How can people live like this ? ·

David Wishart has mastered the difficult art of making dialogue Carl)' exposition without ever becoming stilted, though it occasionally tilts too far the other way with some Jarring contractions ('British ' re ', ' he ' d ' ve ' ) and a lot of rather coy ' effmg '. Well-paced plotting , fleshed-out characters and a fine sense of place combine to make The Horse Coin a thoughtful novel of tragedy , violence and unsentimental romance , leavened with Wishart ' s customal)' wit.

Sarah Cuthbertson

SECOND CENTURY

A PATTERN OF BLOOD

Rosemary Rowe , Headline, 2000 , £17 99 , hb , 274pp , ISBN O 7472 2263 0

Set in Corinium (modern Cirencester) in AD I 86 during the corrupt , violent reign of Emperor Commodus, this is the second book (the first was The Germanicus Mosaic , Review 8) to feature Libertus , a Celt, pavement-maker and former slave who has achieved Roman citizenship . The premise is that as a mosaicist , with a talent for comprehending patterns , he will have good sleuthing abilities

Corinium is a prosperous , bustling town, where muggers and pickpockets operate Libertus is not therefore unduly surprised to witness the knifing of Ulpius , a wealthy Roman official. His patron orders him to inquire into the attack. He arrives at Ulpius ' s mansion just before Ulpius is again stabbed, this time fatally A coincidence? There are several candidates for murderer : and Libertus is drawn into a deadly web of conspiracy and shady dealing.

The author has a clear, uncomplicated style . Her stol)' has intriguing , unforeseen twists and although a sound background knowledge of Roman Britain is demonstrated, historical detail does not break the rhythm of the plot. Similar to Steven Saylor ' s Roma sub Rosa series , this should appeal to lovers of Romsn historical detective yarns . Ken Cosgrove

FIFfH CENTURY

ARTHUR THE BEAR OF BRITAIN

Edward Frankland, Green Knight Publications 1998 re-issue of 1944 publication $14 99 , pb , 350pp , ISBN 1-56882- I 02-6

This novel_focuses on the twelve great battles fought by King Arthur and his comrades leading to his ultimate defeat at Carnlann. Alongside this runs the parallel romantic triangle of Arthur , Gwenhyvar and Medraut.

The strength of this novel lies in its linear plot, its straight-forward progression through, and reason for , each battle fought. Unfortunately there are a great deal of weaknesses , the roots of which lie in the book's age. A novel of fifty years ago will not necessarily work in today's market , no matter how well written. Tastes change

Today's readers tend to like a higher proportion of dialogue than this book provides and less stodgy descriptive passages. Too often events are told to the reader, not shown in action or speech. What should be a flamboyant cast of characters come across as no more than two-dimensional automatons . By all means read this book as an interesting example of how historical novels used to be written, but don't expect a high impact read (I'hink also of the political climate of 1944 and the effects this re- tellin g of the Matter of Britain may have been intended to have on its audience - Towse.)

Sara Wilson

PEROVAL AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Jim Hunter , Chaosium Publications (USA) 1997 (Reissue of 1978 Faber & Faber title) pb , 168pp, ISBN 1-56882-097-6

The second half of the 20th centul)' witnessed a considerable growth in publications based on the Arthurian legends Unfortunately , many of them, especially the fiction, soon became out of print. Consequently, Chaosium Publications (an American publisher link1?d to role play ing gam es - Tows e.), inaugurated the 'Pendragon' series of Arthurian fiction making available again some of the best tales centred on King Arthur This title is the first in the series

The author, now a lecturer for The Open University , provides what can be described as a 'Christian existential novel'. The core of the book is the traditional stol)' of Sir Percival ; first told by Chretien de Troyes in 12th centul)' France It is based on the mythical world of chivall)' rather than the harsh reality of the Dark Ages. Essentially, the stol)' is one of a young man's endeavours to understand both himself and the world in which he lives Much of his striving ends in frustration . At the eve!)' end of the book he confesses 'I no longer believe in Arthur , it being all I can managed to believe in God!'

Hunter ably re-tells the legend in clear, easy to read, if somewhat flowel)' and sanitised prose His book could well appeal to those readers who desire a philosophical content to their historical novels. Others , however, might become irritated at the pious overtone and the aura of Christian romanticism.

Ken Cosgrove

TO THE CHAPEL PERILOUS

Naomi Mitchison, Chaosium Publications. Nov 1999 (Reissue of 1955 George Allen & Unwin title) pb , 2 I9pp , ISBN 1-928999-05-0

Naomi Mitchison (I 897-1999) had a distinguished and prolific writing career. Unfortunately , many of her novels are now out of print, so this reissue is especially welcome . It is a tale of Arthurian adventure and romance However, the technique employed to unravel the story is anachronistic - it is seen through the eyes of pre- World War Two type journalists Events are recorded through the eyes of reporters working for the 'Camelot Chronicle' and the 'Northern Pict' . Mitchison wrote with style and wit in excellent English prose Her book demonstrates how 'believed' historical truth and the understanding of events reported give rise to conflicting accounts of the same occurences Historical 'truth' is twisted in the interests of powerful groups - a reality of reporting and journalism in general even more pertinent now than when Mitchison was writing in the 1920s.

Almost all Mitchison's books still deserve a wide readership even though most of them were published up to fifty years ago However, though this reviewer found To The Chapel Perilous a joy to read, is it strictly an historical novel? Does not the use of modem journalistic techniques to tell the tale make it a fantasy? Given the fact that the Arthurian story itself is one of myth rather than history , readers must judge for themselves

Ken Cosgrove

SIXTH CENTIJRY

THE LAST ROMANS

John Stewart, Arcturus £12 95 , hb , 417pp

ISBN 1-84193-021-0

This novel follows the rising fortunes of Marcus Tullus , 'The Man from the North' , a distant relative of the Marcus Tullus who featured in Stewart's ear]jer novel The Centurion.

Made destitute in his homeland of Britain, Marcus begins a journey to Rome and along the way makes friends with the most powerful characters in 6th century Europe : Boethius , Justinian the Great, Theodoric the Great and Benedict ofNursia (founder of the Benedictine Order) to name a few His Jue is an eventful one , full of happy coincidences, especially concerning his meeting with Lucius Valerius , descendant of another major figure from The Centurion

Tms is an ambitious attempt to capture the essence of the last Romans and the ending of the Roman world Stewart scores highly in his ability to draw rounded characters with a few

deft phrases and he certainly seems to know the political history of the period inside out. When this novel falls do\\11 it is entirely due to pacing and tension; moments of high drama are skipped over in a matter of paragraphs , while less tense and exciting episodes are lovingly described over many pages . This makes for a patchy read and loss of reader involvement.

A good book to read for an O\ erview of 6th century European history

Sara Wilson

SEVENTH CENTIJRY

THEODORE

Christopher Harris , Dedalus £8.99 , pb , 340pp

ISBN 1-873982-49-6

Theodore of Tarsus was born in 602AD , son of a heretical , dualist family in the Eastern Empire Taken in by the orthodox church he spent time in Antioch , Constantinople and Italy, ending his long life as Archbishop of Canterbury and later made a saint of the early Roman church

This is Harris' first novel and Dedalus, an innovative and imaginative small publishing house , are to be commended for finding a new author of such talent and storytelling skill. Theodore merits only a small entry in my biographical dictiomuy. He has been somewhat eclipsed by the ambitions and reputation of his English protagonist Wilfrid , sometime Archbishop of York and famous patron of Ripon Abbey But as Theodore tells the story of his life we see revealed the tangled webs of Empire politics , the struggles of the early church to set down and enforce, by any means , the rules of Christian bebef and the thoughts and fears of educated men as civilisation was thrust into the Dark Ages . Harris' grasp of the feelings and politics of the age are woven into a readable life story that never becomes a history lesson . But for those more familiar with the histOI)' of the west , in so much as it exists for the 617th centul)·, there is much to learn . It is a complicated and violent time Theodore treads a tightrope between despotic , absolute rulers , barbarian and pagan kings and fellow churchmen more intent on power on earth than glory in Heaven But Theodore is also intensely human and this is a time when the church's rules on celibacy, marriage and sexuality were still flujd _ HNS members should be delighted to find a publisher of what so many call 'real' history This book was a pleasure to read . Towse Harrison

I MEDIEVAL (GENERAL) I

DEUS LO VOLT!

Evan S Connell. Secker & Warburg, £18.00 , hb , ISBN 0-436-20544-0

In I 095 Pope Urban appealed lo the Christian world to liberate Jerusalem from the Infidel. His conclusion 'Deus lo volt!' (God wills it!) is the cry that started the two hundred year long crusades This is a book of epic proportions and has rightly been described as a 'magisterial recounting'. It purports to be a chrorucle ',\Titten by one Jean de Joinville , a third generation crusade veteran , relating the whole history of the crusades

By completely absorbing the style and mind-set of an unapologetic 13th century crusader. Connell offers us an explanation of the motivation that incited so many thousands of European knights to war The utterly shameful travesty of the Christian calling is very apparent in the endless descriptions of the besieging of various cities and the bloodbaths that ensued The reader can also see how the initial call to end the persecution of Christians by Muslims in The Holy Land degenerates into the massacres of Jews , Christians and Musbms over two long and bloody centuries I found the book very slow to read . While 1 can appreciate the skill of the author in writing in this way and finding so many different ways of re-telling the same sort of atrocities , the Old Testament style prose took a bit of wading through . There was no immediacy to the story - no personalities that you cared to follow through. The real value of this work , I feel , is as a historical reference text but I would have liked an author's note somewhere detailing how much was pure fiction and how much has been based on genuine sources .

Fleur Rowley

ELEVENTH CENTURY

THE TALE OF MURASAKI

Liza Dalby, Chatto & Windus , May 2000 , £10.00 , pb , 338pp , 00 ISBN 0-7011-6930-3

An anthropologist speciabsing in Japanese culture and the only westerner trained as a geisha, Liza Dalby has fictionalised the fascinating life story of the author of the most famous work of Japanese literature, Tale of Genji. By piecing together fragments of Murasaki's diary and poems and using her own knowledge of I Ith century Japan, she has fashioned her story in the way an archaeological anthropologist fashions a face from fragments of excavated skull

We are given an insight as to what it must have been like to live in the Heian era , Japan's golden age of high aesthetics , sexual politics and literary brilliance

In telling the story of Murasaki's young womanhood , her Chinese scholarship, the arranged marriage which leads to the birth of a daughter, her widowhood, her service to the Empress at Court and her final retirement into seclusion, the book contains many beautiful and poetic passages

Where the author fails , to my mind, is in descending too often into American idiom which is quite out of place in a novel set in Japan in the Heian era - 'here on out ; our recipe had gotten quite a reputation ; all the servants pitched in ; they are in a snit (?!) ; the cat had gotten it; guys like us : they are savvy ; fussing about where our good fans had gotten to '

Since this is an American author published in the USA , American grammar and spelling are to be expected But she uses 'got' and 'gotten' when more thought might have suggested a more acceptable phrase

The blurb on the back cover states that the phenomenal success of Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) proves the great appetite for this novel. Perhaps so , but I fear many people buying on that recommendation will be disappointed I thoroughly enjoyed Memoirs , a compelling read, but as a novel , I found this book difficult. Interesting, informative, but not gripping as a story. It took me a long time to reach the end 1 am glad I did though because, despite its literary faults , it is a work of great historical interest.

Monica Maple

jlWELFTH CENTURY!

BLUE BLOOD

Viviane Moore , Gollancz , 2000 , £9 99 , hb 215pp, ISBN O 575 06820 5

Back in 1135 there was a terrible fire in Chartres and much of the town and its magnificent cathedral was destroyed. Ten years on hundreds of craftsmen are rebuilding the cathedral and one of them is Audouard, a master glazier. Into this bustling setting comes the Chevalier Galeran de Lesnevan who has been summoned by the Count of Blois to solve a mystery Soon he is to find that he has more than one on his hands , and how does it all connect with the fire ?

Mysterious , hermit-like glaziers, bodies galore. a beautiful , enigmatic female physician and deadly old secrets are the ingriedients of this succinct but well-crafted tale . Originally written in French it has suffered the same fate of Christian Jacq by being rendered into an indifferent translation .

An oddity is the lengthy appendix that has a useful glossary as well as several pages of recipes Much as I was fascinated to discover how to make Gallimaufrey with lamb leftovers I felt that I had bought a novel and then been left with something else, a compendium stuffed with all the research the author had done and like a thrifty housewife had not wanted to overlook.

This aside , Moore has concocted a teasing plot with as many surprising twists and turns as a switchback ride I look forward to more of her books but hope for more inspiring translations and less addenda

Rachel A Hyde

FOURTEENTH CENlURY

A MASTERLY MURDER

Susanna Gregory, Little Brown, £16 99 , hb , 406pp , ISBN 0-316-64626-l Matthew Bartholomew returns in this 6th instalment of Susanna Gregory's popular historical crime series

After a short absence from his usual Cambridge setting (see A Wicked Deed) , Dr Bartholomew is back at Michaelhouse in November 1353 , teaching students and tending to the sick townsfolk. But not for him the sheltered and quiet life of a university fellow , because a new Master, Runham, is soon elected and wastes no time in stirring up trouble Not only does he rapidly dismiss servants , students and fellows , but also makes intolerable domestic economies while feathering his own rooms Finally extravagant building works are begun, but never fmished because Runham is found murdered

Once again intrigue and violence abound and, while the death toll mounts , no one is quite who they seem It is up to Matthew and his great friend, the Senior Proctor , Brother Michael, to untangle this masterly murder.

Susanna Gregory writes with skill and flourish. Her characters are wonderfully larger than life and her plots are fantastic and sensational. The comedy is high, but never at the expense of historical accuracy The story romps along at top speed and keeps readers constantly on their toes

The sights and smells of a medieval city are recreated in vivid detail and the tension between Town and Gown crackles from the pages. A Masterly Murder is evocative of all the bold colours beloved in the Middle Ages This is a series that just keeps getting better Sara Wilson

THE INQUISITOR

Catherine Jinks , Pan Macmillan Australia , 2000 , AU$ 22 95 , trade pb , 393pp , ISBN 0-330-36194-5

Brother Bernard Peyre of Prouille, of the city of Lazet in the French Pyrenees , is surprisingly tolerant for a member of his profession An inqwsttor of heretical depravity in the year 1318 , he is one of the few who does not believe that the sins of the fathers heretical beliefs in the Cathar faith, in other words are necessarily visited upon the sons.

When fifty-year-old registers go missing , and later his superior, Father Augustin Duese (a rather voracious persecutor of potential Cathars and agnostics) , is murdered in a rather unusual fashion, under instant suspicion are descendants of heretics accused and convicted years before Other potential murderers are a group of seemingly questionable women living in a nearby mountain village. Brother Bernard attempts to look past superstition in order to ferret out the truth. In attempting to protect the innocence of others , however, his very actions become a source of contention amongst his fellow members of the Holy Office He soon finds that he , once the accuser, is now the accused who must defend himself against heretical charges.

Half historical mystery and half thriller with unexpected elements of romance, The Inquisitor quickly immerses us in a world of mistrust, fear , and suspicion

The mystery, as well , is wonderfully articulated, and the perpetrator (or is it perpetrators ?) of the gruesome deeds are well hidden until the very end Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to publish Th e Inqui s itor outside of Australia Since the publisher does not sell direct to the public, a special order direct to an Australian bookseller may be necessary

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

FIFfEENIH CENIURY

GEMINI

Dorothy Dunnett, Michael Joseph, 2000 , £17.99 , hb , 728pp ,. ISBN 0-7181-4083-4. This is the eighth and final book in the House ofNiccolo series. Set in 1477 the story moves between Bruges, England and France Nicholas de Fleury is now reunited with his wife Gelis and their small son, Jordan (Jodi) , but feels compelled to return to Scotland after an absence of two years and make his peace with the King, James ill . His old enemies are on hand to hound him from the moment he steps ashore at Leith and much is to happen before all is resolved and brought to a final conclusion.

I had read the first in the series , Niccolo Rising, but I wish I had read the intervening six as I had problems piecing it all together and was grateful for the resumes at the beginning of the book These helped enormously

Dorothy Dunnett is a master storyteller and the action never wavers We are given a clear and detailed insight into the twin worlds of commerce and politics in 15th century Europe and Britain, also touching on the continuous border raids between the Scots and the English under the capable command of Richard of Gloucester, (later Richard IID No mention here of the hunchback with a withered arm

This is not a book that can be read quickly, there is too much detail in it for that , but it is one to be savoured. Dorothy Dunnett fans will greet it with acclaim New readers will want to read more .

Marilyn Sherlock

THE ARABIAN NIGHTMARE

Robert Irwin, Dedalus , £6.99, pb , 266pp ISBN 1-873982-73-9 (1998 - still in print)

In June 1486, a group of travellers reach Cairo. Among them is Balian, on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but with a hidden agenda What starts as a simple quest , turns into a phantasmagoric journey . Cairo becomes a Kafkaesque city from which he cannot escape, a place where different realities collide and nightmare and storytelling overlap There are stories within stories , contradictions and confusion, and through it all runs a Cairo which is both real and symbolic

I've never read anything remotely like this book It has affinities with Borges , as well as Kafka plus the original Arabian Nights. But medieval Cairo is very real ; anybody who has visited it - as I have recently - will recognize it instantly, and this gives the book an unnerving basis in reality

The writing is meticulous , elegant and mesmerising. Anyone who relishes the darkly exotic and unusual should read it.

Elizabeth Hawksley

KINGS OF ALBION

Julian Rathbone, Little Brown, 2000, £16 99 , hb , 358pp , ISBN 0-316-85407-7

Readers may remember that I was full of praise for Rathbone's The Last English King so it will come as no surprise that I wanted to read his new novel myself, especially as it was set in one of my areas of special interest, 15th century England. Being familiar with the events of the Wars of the Roses and having been a Yorkist for many years , it was hugely refreshing to read Rathbone's oflbeat and highly original take on what had seemed to be conventional history

The reader is warned in the Author's Note : [this]'is a work of fiction that purports to be set in the fifteenth century Readers bothered by anachronisms and inaccuracies are asked first of all to consider whether or not these may have been intentional. If they are still bothered then I must ask them to accept that the whole thing could have happened in an alternative solar system on the other side of the universe Nevertheless , I did read around a bit.' So, being duly warned., I was instead delighted to discover the invention of expresso coffee and Collis Browns medicinal wonder , some fruity language, eastern sensuality and even Leo di Caprio's famous line from Titanic . And did it seem like anachronism? Not a bit of it!

An Indian prince, an Arab trader and an Indian woman disguised as a Buddhist monk travel to England in 1459 looking for a lost kinsman In this barbarous Third World , far from any vestige of the civilisation, they endeavour to survive and interpret the unknown in a land ripped apart by civil war

Here in the West wehave also inherited the Victorian notion that history implies progress , as opposed to process. By this notion we end up with the present being perceived as the height of human achievement - making the apparently logical deduction that this peak has been achieved by the white men of the West. Rathbone , with the dry humour and satirical slant shown in The Las t English King , turns this notion on its head. As with the best of all writing it asks the reader to think about issues rather deeper than the storylinewhich is itself engrossing

So there are aspects of his history that he admits are 'out of kilter' , but this is wonderfully readable and invitingly speculative . Do yourselves a favour - READ IT!

Towse Harrison

I SIXTEENTH CENTURY I

THE MAN IN FLAMES

Sierge Filippini , transl. Liz Nash , Dedalus , £10 99, pb , 367pp, ISBN 1-873982-24-0

The 'man in flames' of the title is the Italian Renaissance philosopher Giordano Bruno, who was burnt at the stake by the Roman Inquisition in 1600 In the seven days before his death, he writes his autobiography. Thus through this literary device , Bruno recalls his past life while we are constantly kept in mind of what the end will be

Born in southern Italy at Nola near Naples he becomes a Dominican But Bruno is a heretic from the beginning. Brilliant and with a vein of arrogance which makes him unable to compromise, let alone recant, it is inevitable

that he will come into conflict with the church He is excommunicated and forced to flee lo the north, to Calvin's Geneva , to France and to the heretic lands of England and Germany Yet even in these countries his ideas prove too great a challenge for conservative scholars

As to his emotional life, it becomes clear very early in the book that Bruno feels no attraction towards women. Indeed his disinterest borders al times on outright misogyny. But his homosexual relationships , especially that with his constant lover Cecil , the brother of Sir Philip Sidney - and most certainly not to be confused with Elizabeth's well known adviser of that name - are handled with great sensitivity

The chief interest of this book, however, lies in its vivid portrayal of the intellectual world of Renaissance Europe It was a world in which anyone who asked awkward questions or expressed new ideas would inevitably come into conflict not only with the Roman Church, but with hidebound conservative scholars even in Protestant lands To ask new questions and express new thoughts was dangerous too Unlike today , those who did so could end 'in flames'.

Neville Firman

SLEEP OF DEATH

Philip Gooden, Robinson, 2000 , £6 .99 , pb, 288pp , ISBN : 1-84119-146-9. This is an intriguing history-mystery story set in the last decade of Queen Elizabeth I ' s reign . Young would be actor Nick Revill arrives in London looking for work. By great good fortune he manages to get temporary employment as what we would call a 'bit player' with the Chamberlain's men, a theatrical company working at the Globe theatre in Southwark with the author and actor William Shakespeare At the same time he manages to find himself homeless through an accident involving a chamber pot , a young prostitute called Nell , and a very irate landlady. He meets the wealthy Eliot family , and finds that the story behind them closely resembles the story of Hamlet which the Chamberlain's men are performing at that time The body count starts to rise and Nick finds himself the centre of some very dangerous attention, with his suspicions pointing towards his mysterious mentor Mr. Shakespeare

I liked this book. The idea behind it is unusual , the characters appeared well-drawn, and Elizabethan London in all its liveliness and squalor came alive. The action flowed well and if I have a criticism it is that the mystery was not too difficult to solve However for a first book it makes for an extremely enjoyable read, and I hope that Nick

Reville and his Nell make more appearances in the not too distant future .

Mary Tucker

MEMOIRS OF A GNOSTIC DWARF

David Madsen, Dedalus, £8 99 , pb , 336pp , ISBN 1-873982-71-2

Guiseppe Amadonelli is a hunchbacked dwarf of very humble origins who works his way up to become companion and servant to Pope Leo X. But this is much more than a simple rags-to-riches romp with a Renaissance backdrop . Peppe's journey to the top involves lengthy sojourns with a vile freak show , brushes with the Inquisition and leads him to embrace gnosticism, a heresy for which many of his beloved companions will be mutilated and murdered

The narrator tells his story with great verYe and wit , often lingering uncomfortably on the more lurid aspects of life in 16th century Italy No detail is too depra\'ed to be omitted

Ultimately it is not the sexual antics \\hich linger in the mind. but rather Peppe's gnostic beliefs and the terrible consequences of making a stand against an all-powerful and intolerant church This makes Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf a much darker, deeper read than it first appears. Yes , it is a lusty and scurrilous tale, as expected from a publisher with a special interest in decadence , but no more so than the period of history it defines A stem stomach is required , and perhaps a stiff drink , but this novel will repay the efforts

Sara Wilson

SEVENTEENTH

CENTURY

KING'S EVIL

Edward Marston. Headline, 1999, £ I 7 99 , hb 3l0pp , SBN 0- 7472-7584- X

The year is 1666 and the feeling that all is not well with his beloved city of London awakens Jonathan Bale, a puritan constable In the aftermath of the Great Fire , there is much rebuilding to be done and Royalist , Christopher Redmayne is overjoyed when Ambrose Northcott , a friend of his brother , Henry , invites him to design his new house. Whilst doing the necessary sketches , he meets Jonathan Beale, a Puritan for the first time When Northcott is found murdered both men \'OW to join forces to catch his killer. During their investigations it transpires that Ambrose's \\idow and daughter know nothing of the new house and Henry who enjoys a louche lifestyle is also keeping secrets from his brother The trail takes Rcdmayne to France whilst Jonathan combs the riverside

taverns for information and both men are disturbed to find that the highest nobility in the land may be involved

The author has created a memorable partnership in Bale and Redmayne due to the differences in their beliefs Everyday life in the London of 1666 flares into vivid relief and we are privy to the moving spectacle of Charles II as he dispenses the 'King's Touch' to each of his affiicted subjects The research is faultless and beautifully interwoven with the story that succeeds in gripping the imagination from the first page

Thelma Cox

THE AMOROUS NIGHTINGALE

Edward Marston , Headline, 2000 , £16 99 , hb , 277pp , ISBN O 7472 7585 8

When King Charles II's mistress , the acclaimed actress Harriet Gow , is taken hostage , the king calls for help from Christopher Redmayne and Constable Jonathan Bale At first , both are unwilling to get embroiled in this particular affair Then Harriet's maid , Mary. is brutally cudgelled to death and both men are spurred into action as the investigation races against time to save the monarch's amorous nightingale from a kidnapper's wrath

This is the second in a new series of crime novels from Edward Marston. On the whole it works very well, with a fast-paced plot and plenty of historical colour The Restoration theatre and accompanying audience dissipation are deftly drawn , with just the right touches of humour to bring each scene to life. All the characters worked very well, both in isolation and when interacting \\ith each other. The only criticism rests with the lack of red herrings and consequent ease in which the reader will spot whodunnit.

Hopefully this will develop into a classic series Well worth watching out for Sara Wilson

EIGIITEENTH CENTURY

THE ROSE GROWER

Michelle de Kretser, Chalto & Windus. £10 00 , TPB November 1999, 303pp, ISBN 0-701-16917-6 Vintage , 2000 , £6 99 , pb , 303pp, ISBN 0-099-28405- 7

The rose grower of the title is one of the daughters of an impoverished aristocrat in rural Gascony. She turns to the cultivation and propagation of roses as a way of sublimating unfulfilled longings , determined to create a repeat-flowering crimson rose , the first of its kind in Europe. News filters through from

Paris of revolution but life in Gascony continues at its gentle pace, reflected in the pace of the novel. In the nearby town a club for political discussion is established, but surely it is no more than rhetoric? Violence intrudes very little: when it does the effect on the reader is shocking

If you expect a thrilling tale of aristocrats surviving against the odds you will be disappointed This novel is more subtle and seductive, threading two love stories into the progress of both the revolution and the rose garden As well as historical fact , the details of the daily life of rich and poor and of pre-19th century gardening and plant science indicate exhaustive research A list of sources is included at the end

Janet Hancock

BARBARA PITCAIRN

Inga Dunbar, Piatkus , 2000 , £17 99 , hb , I 99pp , ISBN 1-85018-113-6

This sorry tale has its roots in the fairy story of The Seal Woman, a legend from the Shetland Isles , where the author lived for many years , and as a fairy tale is indeed how it comes across I felt I was being told something that happened 250 years ago but I did not engage with any of the many characters or suffer with the eponymous heroine - which I should have done in view of all that happened to her.

For me , the best parts were the descriptions of the Shetlands and the islanders' way of life, bound by the moods of the sea The author -a prize winner in Scotland for a romantic historical novel - has nine other novels to her name , so devotees will no doubt enjoy this one , although it does not have the conventional happy ending one might expect from this publisher, or their usual style

Janet Hancock

DEVIL OF A FIX

Marcus Palliser, Heinemann, £16 99 , hb. 337pp, JSBN 0-434-00763-3

The second novel in Palliser·s series detailing the adventures of his seaman hero Matthew Loftus , more than fulfils the promise of the first. It is set in the Caribbean in the early 1700s and picks up the story where the first book ended Matthew is now Captain of the 'Cornelius', the Dutch privateer which had picked him up after his own ship had foundered off the English coast and carried him to the other side of the world

But, as might be expected, things do not go well for him . His relationship with his beloved Abigail and her greedy merchant father is worsening , his crew is discontented. The book is well plotted and full of wholly unexpected twists and turns I will not spoil the plot for the reader, except to say that

Matthew meets with a formidable female pirate and a half-mad astronomer who holds the secret of finding Longitude by the Lunar Distance Method, a secret in which the British Navy is extremely interested We know, of course, from Dava Sorbel's best-seller, that the true solution was to come later in the century with Harrison's sea-clock. But Palliser makes good use of the theme All in all , the book is a highly enjoyable read

Neville Firman

THE FOX AND THE FLAG

Dan Parkinson, Severn House, 1990 USA , 2000 UK, £17 .99, hb, 351 pp ISBN O 7278 5547 6

This is the third of Dan Parkinson ' s Fox Quartet set during the American War of Independence (For the first and second in the series see Review Issues 8 & 12 respectively .)

Irishman Patrick Dalton, ex-lieutenant in the Royal Navy , still in possession and command of the snow, Fury, continues his mission to prove his innocence of the Crown's accusation of treachery, to retrieve his honour and his pride and provide himself with a future he can offer to the girl he loves

As usual , the reader is fully involved in the exciting events which follow fast one upon another as Fury escorts merchant ships through treacherous waters and Dalton is hunted by an agent of the Crown We leave him still in command (albeit illegally) of Fury, having begun his process of rehabilitation but many difficulties remain to be overcome I look forward to the concluding volume with keen anticipation .

An easy, relaxing, exciting read for anyone who enjoys tales of derring-do at sea in the age of sail.

Monica Maple

NINETEENTH CENfURY

THE BOOK OF THE HEATHEN

Robert Edric, Anchor, 2000 , £9 .99 , pb , 35lpp, ISBN 1862 30097 6.

I cannot praise this book highly enough Everyone should read it immediately and then go out and buy some of Robert Edric's other novels , as I have done . Here is an author hitherto completely new to me but one whom I will now look out for .

This is a powerful, harrowing tale set in the Belgian Congo of 1897 at a British Trading Station It essentially concerns two Englishmen: one awaiting trial for the murder of a native child and his friend who attempts to discover the circumstances surrounding the charge.

Edric explores notions of honour, friendship , justice and reason in a world where men are descending into an abyss of savagery and terror through force of circumstances. At times he reminds me of Joseph Conrad (the theme is also reminiscent of Heart of Darkness) or William Golding. He does not flinch from his purpose or spare us any details but he is not over gratuitous. He achieves maximum impact by gradually increasing the pace and intensity of his narrative to reach what is truly a gripping and shattering climax

This is a book that once begun is impossible not to finish and many of the images and scenes will stay in the mind long after the final paragraph is read .

Ray Taylor

SPA PARTNERS

Delia Ellis , Robert Hale, 2000, £16.99 224pp , hb , ISBN O709 06644 9 Regency Bath is the selling for this sprightly romance Constance Wyndham ' s father has shot himself after losing all on the turn of a card to his daughter ' s fiance Not surprisingly , Constance Oees and ends up as companionbut really best friend - to Lady Elizabeth Nashe Of course Constance is doomed to bump into her erstwhile suitor in Bath And who is the mysterious Mr Ryecroft who appears from nowhere , so eager to marry penniless Constance?

One feature missing from most Regencies. apart from Georgette Heyer ' s, is also lacking here - a wealth of background information about life in those times I wanted to experience Bath instead of merely have it sketched in But this gripe aside, the story was entertaining enough, though not outstanding.

Rachel A Hyde

THE SOOTERKIN, Tom Gilling , Viking , 2000, £9 99, pb 2000 , l212pp , ISBN 0-670-88891-5

It is 1821 and in Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land, Sarah Dyer gives birth to a strange creature resembling a seal pup. Some of the first visitors , curious to see this phenomenon. pronounce that it must be a type of Sooterkinmythical creatures supposedly born to unfortunate Dutch women

When Arthur, the Sooterkin begins to perform circus tricks to make money for his family a series of events are set in motion leading to kidnap and disaster. It is up to Arthur's older brother, Ned , to save the pup and set him free

This is an extraordinary tale that merges fantasy and fact in such a way as to be entirely believable. The convict community of Tasmania is vividly portrayed and all the characters, even the Sooterkin himself, are wholly convincing.

The Sooterkin was a bestseller in Australia and, although it might not be to the taste of the general reader in the UK , it is definitely worth looking out for if you want an unusual or quirk-y read.

Sara Wilson

THE GODS RETURN

Pamela Hill , Robert Hale, 2000 , £16 99 , hb , l 90pp, ISBN O 7090 6552 3

Wealthy potter, Aaron Masterson has several illegitimate sons and two legitimate daughters. Both daughters have birthed one son When Aaron dies , who shall inherit? He decides on Sophy, his ward, a girl of irresistible beauty. The sole stipulation is that Sophy must marry one of Aaron ' s grandsons and bear a son . Will she choose kind , foolish Charley or handsome, venomous Ivor?

I lost count of the number of men who share Sophy ' s bed Yet she does not spend all her time between the sheets. Suggested by the author to be Aphrodite reborn , Sophy floats about the courts of 1850s Europe

If you enjoy a tale of incest, adultery, exploitation and death, and delight in selfish, unprincipled characters, The Gods Return is for you

Claire Morris Bernard

PIT BANK WENCH

Meg Hutchinson, Coronet, 2000 , £5 .99 , pb , ISBN 0-340-69690

Compelling and powerful , Hutchinson's story carries the reader swiftly through a series of dramatic and harrowing incidents , of which rape is merely one Left with no family or home because of the sins of an evil hypocrite , Emma takes to the road Only the devotion of friends she makes along the way will save her from the workhouse , but though her Ii fe is hard she has a child she loves and people who care for her. Meanwhile, her protagonist begins to reap a bitter harvest. However, his reformation from ruthless bastard to hero is achieved in a way that will satisfy most readers , though some may feel he gets off too lightly. But then, as Hutchinson makes clear, powerful men do! Saga Addicts alert! Beg steal or borrow this one but get it.

Linda Sole

THE TWO HEARTS OF KW ASI BOACHI

Arthur Japin (Translated from Dutch, first published in 1997) Chatto & Windus , 2000, £10.00 , pb, 342pp, ISBN 0-701-16870-6 In 1837, two ten year old African princes , Kwame and Kwasi , were sent to the Netherlands by the King of Ashanti as surety in a deal brokered over illegal slave trading. Believing they had been sent to acquire a European education, they studied hard and , as

wards of King Willem I, mixed with the notables of the day Life was not easy - they were treated as curiosity and bumed b y their class males - and they had no conlacl with their famil y.

This is a true story , uncovered by a Dutch actor and writer who spent ten years researching what became in instant best-seller when first published in Holland

The Ashanti kingdom, on the Gold Coast of Africa , supplied slaves to both Britain and Holland from the 17th century When slavery was outlawed , Holland 'recruited' black soldiers instead , whose terms of contract were identical to slavery, and it was this contract , to supply 1,000 a year , which led to the two boys being sent abroad as hostages

When Kwame writes to his uncle , the King of Ashanti , asking permission to enter Ashanti , he does so in Dutch Not only has he lost all his knowledge of Twi , his native language , but he also feels that the King \\ ill be proud to see how well he has been educated The King , however, is deeply affronted at being addressed in a foreign language and casts him oIT, naming his younger brother as heir Bereft of family and identity , the young prince kills himself This tragedy provokes Kwasi to also return to Africa , only to find that all his attempts to find work in his field are blocked , and he can only support himself by acting as secretary to a brutal white man

This compelling and fascinating book slowly unravels the mystery of the secret mandate acting against both young men Kwasi gradually becomes aware of its existence, but not of its content. When he does , fifty years lat.er, he is resigned to its injustice ; although it came as a very uncomfortable shock to this reader.

The concept of the ·noble savage·, superior primitive man , unconupted by civilisation, was popular for many years. Chateaubriand's novels , dealing with the romantic , sentimentalised aspects of the myth , become favourites with the young Kwasi and his royal friends at the Dutch court, but the reality of what it was like to actually be one is more Brave New World.

This novel is highly recommended

Val Whitmarsh

TO BE A FINE LADY

Elizabeth Jeffi-ey, Piatkus , £17 99 , 330pp

ISBN 1-8501-18116-0

Just outside Sheffield back in 1850 when folk wore clogs and shawls and there was always trouble at t'Mill , orphan Joanna lives like a slave on Saul Bradshaw's farm Joanna has always fantasised about living as a lady. When she is given away as a child bride to the local button factory owner it seems like a dream

come true -a loving old man and his sister, endless money and beautiful clothes to wear But Abraham Silkin's godson, Lynwood, lusts after her ; and what about Tom her childhood sweetheart? Joanna is going to find out a lot of things about herself and the people she knows , including the identity of her mother and who her friends trul y are.

I'm not keen on sagas as a rule but this one was better than most. Howe ver, I would have liked to know more about making penknives and buttons , what a buITer girl does and why a workshop is called a hull. All in all I actuall y enjoyed this fairl y suspenseful book.

Rachel A Hy de

A DISGRACEFUL DECEIT

Gillian Kaye , Robert Hale , 2000 , £16 9 9, hb , 239pp , ISBN O 7090 6610 4

This Regency romance is the literary equivalent of comfort food - no surprises but charm in abundance. The author avoids many of the usual cliches Her hero is no arrogant boor from whom any sensible woman would flee . Elinor ' s adventures are perfectly credible.

But towards the end , belief in certain characters is strained and we start to wonder if the author has an overl y optimistic view of human nature Would Claude, gambler , rake and would-be rapist, become a pillar of society quite so quickly? And would the poisonous Miss Brandon , who hoped to marry Justin herself, extend the hand of friendship to Elinor in such a generous way '>

Margare t C ros land

KILLIGREW R.N

.

Jonathan Lunn, Headline , 2000 , £17 99 hb , 312pp, ISBN 0-7472-7438-X

Announced on the jacket as ' Introducing a Victorian Hornblower ' this book relates the first adventure of Mate (soon to be Lieutenant) Christopher Killigrew.

Half Greek, half Cornish, Killigrew comes over as a likeable young man , despite his frequenting of brothels , perhaps understandably , but, to my mind, the true hero either abstains or acquires a mistress He is aboard the paddle-sloop , Tisiphone , serving in the West Africa Squadron , patrolling the Guinea coast in the war being waged against the slave trade, which is by now illegal.

Killigrew is given command of a captured slave ship , which must be sailed to Freeto\\n, a settlement of freed slaves Unfortunately the this ship was badly damaged during capture and will not remain afloat long So he cons what he believes to be another slaver into taking them all aboard Various legal tangles , adventures and misadventures ensue

Back in London and the glittering ballrooms of Mayfair, courting Eulalia , waiting for a new posting , he is persuaded by

Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Napier to act as a spy aboard a suspected slave ship which is due to leave Liverpool. Napier suspects that a British Establishment figure is a major investor. Killigrew is charged with discovering his identity. In this he fails , but his swashbuckling adventures are successful in destroying the biggest slave market in West Africa , many of which still operate despite the best eITorts of the Na vy to combat them

This is an exciting story marred, for me , by the nature of the subject and by the author·s tendency to put post-Imperial PC words into the mouth of the hero.

The author shows an excellent descriptive ability but is a little lacking in characterisation and, at times , the action sequences were rather confusing. Overall , a good, undemanding read

Monica Maple

MARJORY FLEMING

Oriel Malet , Persephone 2000 , (first published 1946, Faber & Faber) , £10 , pb , 202pp , ISBN I 903155 07 X)

Marjory Fleming ( 1803-1811) was a precociously intelligent child whose tragic , early death coupled with the journals and poetry she wrote exercised a fascination for the Victorians (so much so , that an entry for her appeared in Th e Dictiona ry of N ati o nal Biography, 1889) Oriel Malet's fictional account , based on research using facsimiles of Marjory ' s originals is not , however. a romanticised account of a life a la Little Nell. Indeed, Little Hellfire seems more appropriate in places , for Marjory ' s short life was a turbulent one from her birth in Kirkcaldy to her untimely death from measles She was both bright and wilful and prone to fits of deepest melancholy and sudden rages

Oriel Malet tells Marjory ' s story with sensitivity and astonishing insight. At times it seems as if Malet actually knew Marjory The author is able to distinguish between childish naughtiness and more intense and terrifying mood swings She draws Marjol)1 's troubled relationship with her mother with an infinitely delicate brush and is sympathetic to both mother and daughter We are shown the landscape , the houses , other people , through Marjory ' s intense gaze. ' She feels every breath of wind like a gale. One sees it in her face ,' says Marjory ' s aunt , who likens her to the princess in the fairy tale of the princess and the pea. The trouble with Marjory was , there were several peas under the mattresses and she seemed never to find a comfortable resting place.

The novel includes a few of Marjory ' s poems , which are a curious mixture of childish struggles with rhyme and scansion and adult-like perceptions

One can't help but love Marjory after reading Malet's sensitive account of her life, so skillfully written Re-published by Persephone Books , the book includes appendices relevant to Marjory ' s life , as well as samples of Marjory's handwriting. As always , Persephone have taken infinite trouble to find appropriate endpapers to sit snugly inside their tasteful grey and creme cover.

I hope that Persephone continue to re-publish historicals of the calibre of Marjory Fleming.

Geraldine Perriam

THE

ALPHONSE

COURRIER AFFAIR

Marta Morazzoni, translated from the Italian by Emma Rose , Harvill Press, 2000, £9.99 , pb , 2000, l 92pp, ISBN 1 86046 574 9

The place is a tightly knit and incurably gossipy village in the Auvergne at the end of the I 9 th century and the start of the 20 th Alphonse Courrier is a man who dislikes being unprepared Making a fool of yourself, he thinks , is something that can ruin your life Therefore everything in his life is perfectly arranged ; he has built up a prosperous business and marries a beautiful and competent wife who gives him two sons His long-standing involvement with his ugly but passionate mistress is so discreetly managed that none of the village gossips has the slightest suspicion of the affair But such an ordered life is naturally a challenge to Fortune

This is a prize-winning novel, beautifully written and - important - seamlessly translated Marta Morazzoni fully involves the reader, who is invited, time and again, to draw his/her own conclusions , but in spite of this is unlikely to foresee how the story ends The author holds up a magnifying glass to the minutiae of village life, and examines her creations with a detached, amused gaze Her sharp and sly observations , and the spareness of the writing , make this book a delight.

Diane Johnstone

LAURA BLUNDY

Julie Myerson , Fourth Estate, £15.99, hb , 260pp, ISBN 1-84115-320-6

In a Victorian London which Dickens would have recognized, amid Thames mud and the stink of tanneries , Laura Blundy commits a desperate act. Even before this , her situation is perilous . She is destitute and 19th century London has little mercy on social outcasts

To reveal any more would spoil the story Julie Myerson takes us backwards and forwards in time, each episode unpeeling another layer of meaning and mystery . There are tantalising glimpses of the truth , but it is

not until the end that the whole story is made clear.

Fourth Estate books are always interesting and this one is no exception Impeccably written , intriguingly constructed, tender and horrifying by turns , it is indeed , as the blurb has it - 'a haunting love story.' And last, but certainly not least. I was convinced by the 19th century setting. Congratulations to Jolie Myerson -a most satisfying read

Elizabeth Hawksley

HUSSEIN

Patrick O'Brian, Harper Collins , 2000. £14 99 hb , 293 pp , ISBN 0-00-225953-2

This is the first novel ever published by Patrick O ' Brian , in 1938 . It is set in India (which O'Brian had not visited at the time) and tells the story of a young mahout, Hussein, the son and grandson of mahouts, all of whom had been in charge of the same elephant.

Hussein enjoys many adventures with the elephant in the service of the Raj . O ' Brian utilises the superstitions of the Indians , the tensions between the various religions and races plus the customs of the time to compile his story, which includes a romance, in pursuit of which Hussein cheerfully organises the haunting and death of a rival.

When O ' Brian wrote this he was young and a novice author and has been republished on the back of the author ' s success in later years It certainly illustrates the difference between O'Brian ' s early and later work and demonstrates that successful novel \Hiting is a craft which needs to be studied and refined by even an author as admired and successful as he has been

As a fan of his later seafaring stories I was disappointed and bored However, it has value as a curiosity and may please any reader interested in Indian culture

Monica Maple

THE DRAGOMAN'S STORY

Michael Pearce, Severn House , 2000 , £17 99 , hb , 218pp , ISBN 0-7278-5569-7

An extensive knowledge of modem Egyptian history underlies Pearce ·s award-winning ' Mamur Zapf series (11 so far) of witty historical detective stories

The Dragoman 's Story. however, is set in the Egypt of the early l850when the country was still independent, although nominally under Turkish suzerainty It was growing in popularity for European travellers and the travel literature of the period is an important background feature

Neither a detective mystery nor really ' historical', this novel is more a comedy of manners There are a number of inter-related situations rather than a thematic plot plus

humorous sociological observations centred in the past. The two central characters are Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, before either achieved fame . Both are tonnented by vocational doubts The book focuses on their respective (and separate) journeys up the Nile to visit the sites of ancient Egypt. Mid-nineteenth century differences between British and French sensibilities and attitudes to foreign travel and alien cultures are highlighted. Miss Nightingale sees travel as self-improving and educational. Flaubert and his male friend frequent harems and watch belly-dancers.

The adventures of the two parties are recalled by their guide , dragoman, Thomas Wood , a thinly disguised portrayal of Thomas Cook, the founding father of the package tour

In some respects, the book is a pastiche of Jerome K Jerome·s Three Men in a Boat , but set on the Nile rather than the Thames. As with all Pearce·s novels, it is well-written, easy to read and is an attractive blend of gentle wit and historical ambience However, comedians sometimes try to be tragedians and Yice versa and not always with success . This reviewer prefers the 'Mamur Zapt' mysteries Ken Cosgrove

MY KIND OF AMERICA

Jeremy Poolman , Bloomsbury, 2000 £18 99 , hb , 2000, 496pp, ISBN 0-7475-4767-X

The publisher's blurb on the dustjacket of this book describes My kind of America as 'an extraordinary and powerful novel about fate, destiny and the cruel practical jokery of history ' I would certainly concur with 'extraordinary', but for me this interesting premise is submerged by the author's self-consciously quirl,)' narrative style, which leads to virtual incomprehensibility after about 50 pages The various periods covered by the story (1875 , 1908 and the late 1990's) are sketchily dra\\'n in , but generally convincing as Eddie and Matthew's storylines build to. respectively , a recreation of the Battle of the Little Big Hom , and its aftennath Libbie Custer's storyline acts as a link between these two major plotlines The modem section of the book is peopled with the supposedly oddball characters without whom no road journey novel is complete, none of whom hold either the author's or the reader's attention for long.

I haYe to admit I almost gave up when firstly, a coach-load of midget Dolly Parton look-alikes made their appearance in Eddie's story and then the author himself decided to join in. The sense of achievement I felt on getting to the end of this book was in large part tinged with relief. If you enjoy clever-clever, confusing writing, then this is the book for you , but it is not to my taste. Shirley Skinner

THE LADY AND THE LUDDITE

Linden Salter, Robert Hale , 2000 , £16.99, hb , 221 pp , ISBN O7090 6609 0

The scene is the Brontes • Yorkshire , the year 1812. Linden Salter uses the background of Shirley, and its heroine Shirley Keeldar as mill-owner, although the hero , Tom Mellor, leader of a doomed band of Luddites, is her own invention This in no way detracts from the originality of this story of love and adventure set in the class-ridden Regency world split by the Industrial Revolution We see all sides - the replacement of England ' s green and pleasant land by smoking chimneys , the new machinery which factory owners see as progress , and the desperate determination of the workers to save their jobs and starving families In telling the story of Shirley and Tom , Linden Salter tells the wider one of England itself.

I found this a most refreshing book, written in a clear, lively style , with a story that moves at a good pace

Marcia J Treece

THE KJNDL Y ONES

Caroline Stickland, Headline , 2000 , £9 .99, pb , 278pp, ISBN O7472 7352 9

The stories of Helen and Paris. Clytemnestra , Agamemnon and their •friends and relations' are turbulent , violent and endlessly fascinating They have been retold by Caroline Stickland and set in mid to late-nineteenth century Britain and India.

Paul Eliot (Paris) elopes with Gerard Forston·s (Menelaus') wife , Eleanor (Helen). Forston·s brother, Margrave (Agamemnon) , joins him to pursue the couple first to London and then to India . The disreputable Margrave dupes his daughter Kate into marrying an elderly , rich roue . Sailing for India , Kate's ship sinks with no apparent survivors. And so continues a tale of intrigue , murder and surprising twists.

This is an ambitious novel which, after the somewhat involved sentences of the early chapters , settles down to a smarter pace The page-turning narrative parallels its ancient predecessor in its intensity and its violent outcomes . Alongside this are vivid descriptions of England and India. their landscapes and customs . Stickland is particularly skilled at evoking images through smell and touch:

There are two incidents within the novel that are based on actual events, both of which demonstrate the cliche about truth being stranger than fiction I say no more than this for fear of giving away too much of the plot.

There is a list of characters at the back of the book with their equivalent ancient counterparts. Unfortunately , either author or editor has decided to include a synopsis of the

novel. also with its ancient parallel. This seems a shame because half the fun of reading the novel is matching the incidents in the book to the ancient tale For those uninterested in puzzles , a synopsis of Clytemnestra and co \\Ould suffice , without the novel's equivalent action That said, The Kindly Ones is a novel in which a compelling tale is set within ' a garden of bright images '. Even if one had never heard of Cl}1emnestra , Electra and others , this novel would still be a rewarding read

Geraldine Perriam

IN PLACE OF HONOUR

R E Watson , Pentland Press Ltd .( Hutton Close , South Church , Bishop Auckland , Co Durham) 1999 , £9 50, pb , 325pp

ISBN I 85821 649 4

Set mainly in Durham, and spanning the years between 1825-1832. In Place of Honour is a graphic account of the events which took place during the Industrial Revolution . Woven through this is the story of Edward Grifford, an ambitious , womanising politician, and Laura , the well educated daughter of an impoverished lrish doctor who leaves her native land to work as a governess in Edward's ancestral home

As a nati, e of the area , I could appreciate the conditions endured by the miners , and the plight of the boys sent to work six hundred feet underground in appalling conditions. Girls fared little better if they took up employment in ancestral home such as Edward's , where they stood every chance of being ravished by the lecherous politician with all that inevitably ensued

Laura , an unusually emancipated nineteenth century miss , rather enjoys the suffering forced upon her by Edward, but is really in love with the William Mitchell, the quietly determined but temporarily impotent man she eventually marries.

In Place of Honour has been extremely well researched, but falls short on the true atmosphere of the era This is largely because the words spoken by the characters are an uneasy mix of nineteenth and twentieth century dialogue , and because the heroine is so far ahead of her time that she conveys the impression that she has wandered into the wrong century by mistake . In spite of this, and an over abundance of sub plots, the story never lacks pace , and is a painstakingly documented reminder of a turbulent period in our history

Margaret Beasley

THE THRIVING THORN

Jeanne Whitmee, Severn House , 2000, £17.99 , hb , 224pp , ISBN 0-7278-5570-0

With sagas so often seeing sarney these days it is refreshing to find an author who dares to be different.

When Kathy and Patrick Reardon come otr the boat from Ireland to be bonded servants up at Denmark House , they have different ideas of the new life they have come to For Patrick it is little better than slavery and he cannot wait to be free of his bond and to begin to make his mark in the world For Kathy the house is a safe haven where she is well-fed and given new clothes to wear

But she discovers a serpent in her new paradise when the master, Henry Quincey begins to take an interest in the lovely woman she is gradually becoming His actions compound with others of his selfish brood to begin a domino effect that causes Kathy heartbreak and many years must pass before the story comes to a worthwhile ending .

My only quarrel with this book is that it is not the first of a trilogy With the wealth of characters and material , like Oliver Twist , I wanted more!

Linda Sole

jTWENTIETH CENTURY!

A WINTER SERPENT

Aileen Armitage , Severn House , 1999 , £16 99 , hb , ISBN : 0 7278 5475 5 , It is not sexist, I hope, to say that some books are obviously directed at women. This is one of them It tells the life of Gregory Rasputin from his youth in Siberia to his death in St Petersburg. As one would expect in a short novel, his abandonment of wife and children, his abuse of women, rape of a nun, and manipulation of the Russian throne speed by at a cracking pace Little room is lefi for a sense of time and place

Much is made of his ' holiness?' and little of his crimes . Rather like a doting mother mentioning the innocent naughtiness of her son who just happens to be a cruel criminal. His powers over people is explained by both his religion and his eyes , and very strange eyes they are indeed Within the first few pages they change from keen and blue , then to grey , and back to blue-grey I know that eyes change in differing light but it becomes confusing particularly when in the last chapter they shine green and menacing in the firelight.

Stephen J Redding

LIVERPOOL LIES

Anne Baker, Headline , 2000. £17 .99. hb , 282pp , ISBN O 7472 7123 2

Liverpool , 1941. Connie, Lottie and Cliff Brinsley have to face up to the dreadful news that their parents and younger brother have been killed in an air raid

Shock follows shock when their Uncle Steve arrives with distressing revelations about their mother's double life But the fractured family is determined to pull together.

Liverpool Lies starts impressively, and with plenty of action It engages the reader's attention and titillates with multiple layers of past deceptions being relentlessly stripped away in successive chapters The main characters are confidently drawn and , if their motivation is a little confused in the beginning , by the end of the book they have achieved credibility.

The middle section unfortunately slackens in pace , and interest is only revitalised when the book concentrates more on the intricate dealings of the black market in post-war Britain

This is only a minor quibble since the slower parts do serve to highlight the later tension and climactic ending

Sara Wilson

THEY WERE FOUND WANTING

Miklos Banffy, Arcadia, 2000 , £12.99 , pb , 470pp , ISBN I 900850 29 X This epic novel is the second in the Transylvanian Trilogy , first published in Hungary on the outbrea.l.; of WWU , ignored under the Communists , and only recently republished in the author ' s native country It takes up the tale of two cousins , Balint Abady and Laszlo Gyeroffy , their loves and very different fortunes , in 1906 a year after 17iey Wer e Counted ended Hungarian politicians quarrelling among themselves and ignoring their countrymen ' s real needs are still pursuing their vendetta with the Hapsburg rule from Vienna , while failing to notice how the Great Powers - through such events as Austria ' s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908 - are moving closer to the conflagration of 1914-18 that will destroy their world forever.

Much of what I wrote about 17iey Were Counted (Review 9) applies to this book too It is no easier to read than the first and I never did fathom out the wranglings of the Budapest politicians Yet I was swept along by the utter sincerity of the writing , the conviction that this is really how it was.

Janet Hancock

THE BLUE NOTE.

Charlotte Bingham. Bantam , 2000 , £5.99, pb , 567pp , ISBN 0553 812742

Reading 17ie Blue Note is like turning the pages of someone else's photograph album. Even though each snapshot may be accompanied by a date , the events leading up to the moment captured on film may be indistinct in retrospect and the time delay behveen one photograph and the one next to it may bear little relationship to actual time

The significance of the simile is reinforced when all three of the main characters became involved with a life either in front or behind a camera

The first 'snapshot' is labelled Christmas 1939 and shows three small children examining the contents of their stockings. The hand knitted gloves are but one indication that this is not a time of normality

Pages turn and we see the three again as teenagers Their very different education has in some respects dictated the way their lives are shaped Eventually, chance in the form of a photograph. brings the three main characters back together and they realise that the links they forged in childhood are still as strong as ever.

Sheila Hardy

WILD STRAWHERRIES

Emma Blair, Little Brown, £ 16.99 , hb , 378pp

ISBN 0-316-64820-5

World War II is raging. and hard-drinking , insensitive Sam Blackacre has j oined the Merchant Navy, leaving his wife Maizie in charge of their hotel in the Comish fishing village of Coverack. Besides coping with two traumatized child evacuees , Maizie is also involved with a top secret saboteur group awaiting a possible Gem1an invasion

When attractive Christian Le Gall , a French comes to Coverack, Maizie's loyalties are tested

I found the characters and setting unconvincing at frrst. However. when Sam returns on leave and Christian undertakes several dangerous missions to occupied France, the book gathered pace and I became gripped Emma Blair is a popular novelist, two of whose books have been short-listed for the Romantic Novelists' Association's Award, and doubtless Wild Strawberries -will be greeted eagerly by her fans . Elizabeth Hawksley

A SECRET IN THE FAMILY

Rose Boucheron, Piatkus , £17 99, hb , 215pp, ISBN 0-794990-525-5

In 1918 Lady Frederica Drummond realises that she is going to have a child - but the father is not her husband. Her only solution is to give the baby to her old nanny who lives in

a cottage in the grounds of Kirby Hall. with the entreaty that she bring it up as her own So Robbie and her husband, Tom adopt Sarah and she grows up with their own two sons into a bright and beautiful young woman

Unfortunately she is a little too fond of her half-brother , David , and he returns her love , neither of them knowing that they are related

This is a light , easy-to-read book with an entertaining story The main fault is that Loo much is revealed at the beginning. In the prologue Sarah is celebrating her 80th birthday with her family all around her . We are then told a lot of unnecessary infom1ation about various children and grandchildren and their spouses who have nothing to do with the main story - why? The period between and during the wars is always interesting reading as the old order slips into the new Paris just as the occupation is starting is impossible to make boring , but I wanted more I was told a lot of events and how they affected people but I never got involved with it. This is a pity as this wasn't a dull story and a few more descriptions - and preferably no prologuewould have made it into a jolly good novel.

Rachel

A Hyde

A DREAM OF HER OWN

Benita Brown, Headline , 2000 , £17 99, hb , 312 pp , ISBN O 7472 7254 9 This story , set in Newcastle in I 906 , has a cast of varied. interesting characters . Constance, born wealthy but reduced to the workhouse, has been skivvying for the unpleasant Sowerby family but is about to escape to marry John , a tradesman Thrown out of the house late at night , she is raped by the unpleasant Gerald Sowerby , and then discovers that her husband is not as attentive as she expected

The author weaves together a well-thought out plot. She uses the different viewpoints skilfully. but this distanced me from the central figure. making her appear too passive for a heroine Occasionally, too. leaps fonvard in time and then flashbacks detracted from the in1IT1ediacy of the situation Perhaps a slightly longer book could have dwelt more on the love story

This is , however, a personal preference I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and look fonvard to more of Benita ' s Newcastle sagas . Marina Oliver

HAMON RYE

Charles Bukowski , Rebel Inc , (Canongate) 2000 , £ I 0, pb , 3 l 8pp, ISBN O 86241 993 X Charles Bukowski ( 1920-94) is a cult figure in the United States but little known over here He is the author of several volumes of poetry and short stories as well as the screenplay to

the autobiographical l 987 film, Barfly A descendant of the ' beat' writers, Bukowski has written several novels of which his fourth , 1982s Ham On Rye , is regarded by critics as his best. It is published in the UK for the first time

As in all ofBukowski's novels , the hero of Ham On Rye is Henry (Hank) Chinaski, a self portrait. This novel follows Chinaski as he grows up in an America devastated by depression and then the slide into world war The novel ends with the bombing of Pearl Harbour

As Bukowski is writing from memory, this novel may not be ' pure ' historical fiction .· However this book provides interesting (and entertaining) background reading for anyone researching this turbulent period of America· s history . Chinaski , like his creator, is an outsider, a loner who finds pleasure in solitude and feels contempt for the tedium of ordinary life. As he progresses to adulthood Chinaski finds himself a magnet to others like him who have rejected conventional life or been rejected by it. Through this we meet a number of brilliantly drawn oddballs. The writing throughout is sparse and taut and full of raw energy Although strong language abounds and there is much discussion of what I shall simply describe as the more intimate bodily functions , I urge you to discover for yourselves this original and striking book. I hope that Bukowski's profile will be raised by this reissue.

Andrew Zigmond

CLARE'S WAR

Anita Burgh, Orion 2000. £16 .99, hb , 340 pp ISBN O 75282 559 3. (Also available in pb , £9 .99 . 0 75282 560 7.)

Clare Springer, finishing her education in Paris in 1939, revels too much in her freedom, to want to return home when war threatens Besides , she desperately wants to forget the tragedy which alienated her from her father and sent her away.

As her life changes from the gaiety of the 'bright young things' to fear , deprivation, and horror under the German occupation , Clare changes too. Her love for France, and for Fabien, bring her into contact with the men and women of the resistance. Despite her terror , she helps in many ways , finding love and loss , great happiness and heartache . As she travels around France we are given insight into the lives of both tO\\<n and country-dwellers , as well as Parisians , but wherever we arc the background comes alive

This is a perceptive view of one girl's experiences Within two pages we have conflict, dismay, fascination We are instantly drawn into Clare's life. Tilis novel amply fulfils our expectation that any of Anita

Burgh's books will display her virtuoso skill in telling compelling stories. Clare, a complex character, discovers strengths and beliefs , fear and determination . Perhaps because of this first person viewpoint , I found the other characters less memorable. I would have liked more of Didier, Karl and Arlette , all great characters and, in their various ways , epitonlising the struggles of people caught up in the war. Once or twice I felt uncomfortable about the motivations of characters , but these minor quibbles are soon swept aside by the compelling drive of the sto1ytelling

The book is dedicated to the women who did so much, but received so little official recognition It certainly told me a great deal about life in occupied France. It isn't Anita's first venture into historicals , her Daughters of a Granite Land trilogy were amongst her earliest books She illustrates, by tiny , yet significant details, the poignant reality of life in past times While as page-turning as her other novels , it is more serious , but it will delight her existing fans and, I am sure , draw more faithful readers

Marina Oliver

PILGRIM

Timothy Findley, Faber and Faber, 2000 , £10 99, pb , 48lpp , ISBN 0-571-20268-3

On the 17th of April 1912 a man called Pilgrim hangs himself. Five hours later he is pronounced dead by two doctors and yet shortly afterwards his heart begins to beat again Pilgrim's friend, Sybil Quartermaine, brings him to the Burgholzli Psychiatric Clinic where she entrusts his care to Carl Jung. With the help of Pilgrim's journals, Jung hopes to understand the reason for his patient's overwhelnling death urge .

But what the journals reveal seems impossible - Pilgrim cannot die He has been alive since the earliest times, inhabiting many bodies - both male and female, condemned never to be born but to continually re-awake fully grown and with the memories of all his past lives He has been blind Orion; a crippled shepherd ; a stable boy ; a stained glass craftsman . He has been the friend of Oscar Wilde and Henry James ; he has posed, as La Gioconda, for Leonardo da Vinci . Pilgrim is a beautifully layered work investigating the nature of self and exploring the many related issues : religion, destiny , madness and sanity. The novel also captures a focused snapshot of the birth of modern psychiatric care All this is presented against the backdrop of a world disintegrating into war from which no one will emerge mentally unscathed. Absorbing , fascinating and uncomfortably believable . Sara Wilson

EARTH AND REA VEN

Sue Gee, Headline Review, 2000 , £17 99 , hb , 404pp, ISBN O7472 7493 2

Set between the wars , this is the story of Walter , a farm labourer ' s son whose artistic talent wins him a scholarship to the Slade, where he has a brief fling with flirty Nina , marries quiet Sarah and forms a lifelong friendship with Euan, a sculptor Walter and Sarah move to Kent to work and raise their daughter Meredith and son Geoffrey Euan later joins them in an idyllic artistic commune , but the passing years bring tragedy and misunderstanding

Sue Gee has a poetic turn of phrase and a painter ' s eye for detail , colour and texture London, the Kentish landscape and country life are marvellously evoked, and artistically the period has intrinsic interest. But the story is too thin, and the central characters too colourless to sustain the frequent descriptive passages , not to mention this reader ' s interest. When we first meet them, Walter and Sarah are touchingly naive, but they hardly develop during the quarter century the story spans ; they're simply people to whom things happen It's the subsidiary characters who intrigue , but only slightly Euan, a loner, shellshocked from the trenches , has a secret. So do brittle, embittered Nina and the vulnerable Meredith. This is an ambitious novel. I wanted it to succeed Sadly, for me, it didn "t.

Sarah Cuthberts on

THE GLASS PALA CE

Anlitav Ghosh, Harper Collins, 2000 , £16.99 , hb , 552PP. ISBN 0-00-226102-2

This epic novel begins with the English conquest of Burma in 1885 and the exile of the Burmese royal family . Rajb.'Ulilar, an Indian servant boy , participates in the looting of the palace and becomes fascinated by Dolly, a child attendant of the queen Years later, having made his fortune , Rajkumar sets out to find Dolly and make her his wife The Glass Palace follows Rajkumar, Dolly and their children up to World War Two when their world is shattered by the Japanese invasion

Anlitav Ghosh is the acclaimed writer of two novels and a travel book . I sat down to read the book with high hopes but unfortunately I was to be disappointed

This is not to say it is a bad book. It was an exciting and well paced story However I expected more from a book described on the flyleaf (which incidentally needs to be binned immediately after purchase since it gives the full synopsis) as a shimmering and monumental epic ·

The main problem is that 550 pages is not very much for a story spanning sixty turbulent years. The opening scenes about the British

invasion were excellent, rich in atmosphere and character. After Rajkumar and Dolly's marriage , however, the book suddenly starts to move along at breakneck speed so that before we know it Raj\...7.Ullar and Dolly are in their sixties with grown up children. This had the effect of distancing me from the characters After we reach World War Two Ghosh slows down and the book improves greatly.

Despite the Burmese setting, The Glass Palace is deeply rooted in colonial India ' s struggle for independence and I learnt a lot of a history here At this point the novel branches off into several sub plots

When World War Two ends Ghosh switches back to catapult mode , culminating in an incredible leap of fifty years to 1996. This happens mid-chapter and is so sudden that I thought the date must be a misprint at first. This section follows Rajkumar •s middle aged granddaughter as she pursues the various loose ends in her family s history Although their was some poignancy for a lost world in the scenes where she visits the place where the exiled King died , I got the impression that this modem section was merel y an excuse for Ghosh to trot into Burma ' s current crisis as a way to finish the story . This is an interesting if erratic book that has perhaps not been given enough space to realise itself.

Andrew Zigmond

THE BINDING CHAIR

Kathryn Harrison, Fourth Estate , £9 99 , pb , 287pp, ISBN 1-84115-268-4

The novel begins in rural China at the end of the 19th century May has to sit in the 'fool binding chair' while her grandmother uses the customary method on the young girl's feet in order to turn them into 'perfectly fonned lotuses' This practice was considered necessary in order to attract a wealthy husband when the time is right. Her resulting arranged marriage is not a success (for May) and she finds an ingenious way out ending up in a brothel in Shanghai Here she meets an Australian, Arthur, who is a member of the 'Foot Emancipation Society' He is unable to refonn May but persuades her to marry him They both go to live with his sister and her husband and their daughters , Alice and Cecily A special relationship grows between May and Alice , although May's relationship with he rest of Arthur's family is, most of the time , strained to say the least.

Th e Binding Chair tells a fascinating story of travel , flight from oppression and a Jong search with a thought provoking conclusion It is in tum shocking and humorous and moves easily between opium dens , a London boarding school and the French Riviera in the 1920s

The historical details are woven cleverly through the plot and show major differences between East and West where traditions and cultures often clash But it is the image of the colourful May hobbling through life on her bound feet which stayed in my mind long after the book was finished Recommended Greta Krypczyk-Oddy

CORNER HOUSE GIRLS

Lilian Harry , Orion, 2000 , £9 99 , pb , 341pp , ISBN 0-75282-566-6

This is a curtain raiser for a series of World War Two sagas set in London. Phyl , Jo, Shirley, Maggie , Etty and the dreadful Irene are all eager to work as waitresses at Lyons Comer House , the famous chain of restaurants The trials , tribulations and privileges of what was undoubtedly a top job for girls at that time take up several chapters Interesting , but not as rewarding as the glimpses of family life we are allowed as the story develops after a slowish start The girls work, play and fall in love as the world rushes on towards the madness of war

Characters rather than dramatic incidents give this book its warmth and charm as it builds into a very believable story , and as war breaks out the reader is left with a sense of loss as the boys go off to fight that nasty Hitler. These people live down your street and you known them, which is what saves this book from being just another World War Two saga

Not a book to be read in a hurry and fogotten Savour it over a cup of tea and a slice of fruitcake , but be warned - such indulgences can become addictive!

Linda Sole

THE SHIMMER OF THE HERRING

Evelyn Hood, Little Brown, £17.99 , hb , 342pp, ISBN 0-316-84919-7

The setting is the small fishing community of Buckie, Scotland, the year 1912 and therefore we are in the familiar territory of the regional saga Th e Shimmer of the He rring follows the lives of the Lowrie family as they battle to survive the hardships of living and working in the precarious fishing industry

What could have been a bland tale is lifted above the usual by an unexpectedly hard-hitting incest storyline. And the clifihanging ending is sure to encourage readers to buy the next instalment.

The only real niggle is triggered by the large chunks of backstory woven into the early chapters - presumably because this book continues from an earlier one That said, it is an entertaining, easy read

Sara Wilson

CHILD OF SIN

Meg Hutchinson, Hodder&Stoughton , 2000 , £16 99 , hb , 343pp , ISBN 0-340-73857-X

Orphan Lizzie Burton, in service since childhood in the household of wealthy Cato Rawley, has only one friend , fellow housemaid, Deborah Hammond . In 1902 , when Lizzie , pregnant and unmarried, is dismissed , Deborah leaves with her . They set out to find lodgings and work in the village a few miles away from the Big House . As they cross the wild and lonely heath, they are waylaid and robbed of the few shillings they have and Deborah is saved from rape by their attacker, the evil Abe Turley , by the intervention of young , handsome Clay Gilmore After giving Turley a sound thrashing, and retrieving the money , Clay takes the girls to his friend , Sadie Trent , who takes them in .

I became very fond of Lizzie. Deborah, Clay and Sadie and laughed , cried and agonised with them as they coped with the trials and tribulations that beset them . Unfortunately. most of the other characters are almost caricatures, devoid of depth It was also difficult at times to make sense of the plot: child abuse , white slave trading, attempted rape , murder , suicide, transvestitles and a homosexual clergyman -a veritable hotch-potch of bizarre situations which flitted across the pages in bewildering procession

The book jacket indicates that Child of Sin should please fans of Josephine Cox and Catherine Cookson

An unfortunate assumption , I think Jo Coles

MANNEQUIN

J Robert Janes , Orion 2000 , £6 99 , pb , 276pp ISBN 0-75282-709-X

December 1942 Paris is occupied by Germany and France is in the grip of shortages of every description Fear and suspicion haunt every face But amongst the horrors of war, ordinary crimes are stiII committed and in the solving of these Chief Inspector Jean-Louis St-Cyr of the Surete Nationale has been ordered to work alongside Hennann Kohler of the Gestapo so that when a young girl goes missing on her way to an interview for a job as a mannequin and the local bank is robbed of 18 million francs in broad daylight , the two detectives are sent to investigate Are the two events linked? Is the Resistance involved? Why was the house of one of France ' s aristocrats suddenly emptied of all its furniture and works of art? When it also comes to light that other girls have also gone missing and have subsequently been found murdered the mystery deepens Clues are found: the threads cross and cross

again as the two detectives travel from Paris to Dijon, talcing in a chateau and back again . Well researched and powerfully written this is the fifth book involving St-Cyr and Hermann Kholer. The story unravels over a period of a fe w days The clues are all there and red herrings abound . I really thought I had solved this one - I should have known better. l am of the wrong generation to regard novels set in WWII as historical novels although I concede that there will be many readers born long after 1945 to whom this is history , but it makes a different and plausible setting for the events that unfold and if you enjoy a good murder mystery , if a little gory , then you will probably enjoy this one .

Marily n Sherlock

DOLLMAKER

J. Robert Janes , Orion 2000 , £5.99, pb , 258pp , ISBN 0-75282-710-3

This , the sixth St-Cyr/Hermann Kholer novel , moves straight on from the previous book to January I 943 This time the two detectives , Chief Inspector Jean-Louis St-Cyr of the Surcte Nationale and Hermann Kohler of the Gestapo have been sent to Brittany to investigate the death of a local shopkeeper found murdered on the railway line Small fragments of bisque , the material used to make dolls ' faces are found nearby . German U-boats are in the harbour and the chief suspect is the captain of one of them - U-297 , regarded as a hero in the eyes of his crew and a maker of dolls. Victor Kerjean, Prefet of Morbihan, has been summoned from Vannes on the direct orders of Admiral Karl Doenitz, C-in-C U Boats . St-Cyr and Kohler have been ordered to assist.

Once again Robert Janes twists the story this way and that. A large sum of money goes missing A concert pianist, who with his wife and nine year old daughter also a collector of doUs , lives nearby and makes frequent visits to the long rows of Standing Stones that abound in the area Where does it all lead?

This time I had no idea who dunnit. simply could not work it out at all and if I were to voice a small criticism it would be that I thought it a pity that Robert Janes had given three characters names all beginning with the letter ' K '. Apart from Hermann Kohler of the Gestapo , there was also Victor Kerjean, Prefet of Morbihan and the chief suspect himself, Paul Johann Kaestner. 1 found it a little confusing and was well into the book before I could really remember who was who

However , it was another good read , well researched and to those too young to have lived through these years , gave an insight into some of the Naval activities in WWII . Marilyn Sherlock

DEEPWATER

Tim Jeal , Little Brown , 2000 , £16 99 , hb , 352pp , ISBN 0316-64684-9

The novel opens in Oxford in 1941 American Andrea is married to English scientist, Peter, and has an adored 13 year old son, Leo Her marriage has been put under strain by Peter's polio. Although unfit for active service, Peter wants to do his bit for the war effort and takes a research job in London Despite disagreements about the English public school system, they send Leo to boarding school.

When Peter and Andrea take a holiday cottage in Cornwall for the summer , Leo invites school-friend Justin to stay With Peter often away and the boys out all day, lonely Andrea starts an affair with Commander Mike Harrington. Meanwhile , Justin , makes a dangerous night swim to spy on the naval vessels off the coast. His escapade is later emulated by Leo in a muddled attempt to salvage his parents' marriage , with devastating consequences for the lovers

This is a romance that starts off in time-honoured way , with dislike at first sight , quickly changing to love However, none of the characters ring true Peter , the patient husband who gives the lover permission to see his wife , is hard to believe in The boys veer between adult knowingness and crass sexual ignorance There is a straight-laced maid who happily discusses contraception with her employer's son and Mike's overriding characteristic seems to be that he is handsome. As for Andrea , what are we to make of a woman who clinging to an overturned rowboat , pats her hair and wishes she had her makeup bag with her ?

The prose veers from cliches to awkward laboured similes ('Peter...stepped out of the archway of the gents , like a mechanical saint bustling into view to the chimes of a cathedral clock .') It is frequently more than a little ludicrous. At a moment of high drama , husband and wife discuss the wreck of their marriage while Peter is lying in the bath, and Andrea notices 'his penis bobbing like a small pink buoy started to jut clear of the water , like an artist's impression of the Loch Ness monster.' And at times , it is simply in bad taste - a woman is dying on the deck of Mike's ship and we are told that 'Her underwear was visible through her soaking dress.' With a sketchy, hurried ending further compounding this reader's disengagement with the novel , it was all in all an uninspiring read . Lucienne Boyce

DANCING IN THE DARK

Maureen Lee, Orion, 2000 , £5 99 , pb , 410 pp , ISBN 0-75283-443-6

Marketed as a romantic saga and set in the Liverpool area , this novel is not quite what one would expect from this description . Millie Cameron is unwilling to sort through the possessions of her dead, and only once-met Great-aunt Flo Though she has physically escaped from her famil y, especially her violent father , and has a good career, she is still bound to them, so reluctantly begins the task. Flo lived in the basement flat of a once-elegant house in Toxteth, and as Millie meets her neighbours and friends (a wonderful coUection of disparate people who have their own grim tragedies and triumphs ) she is drawn into Flo's life and begins to unravel the secrets. Gradually she discovers threads connecting Flo to herself, but not in the way that might have been imagined

This novel is written with parallel lives . Flo's story begins just before Word War Two, and she experiences great love and unbearable loss , but fights her way to independence and success MiUie , a girl of the 1990s , wants to retain her independence too , but encounters opposition. The two stories are cleverly do vetailed. Maureen Lee switches seamlessly between them, unveiling with great skill the intricate plot and tangled web of relationships as Millie becomes more engrossed in Flo's life. The author's characterisation is excellent, she shows great insight into the confused feelings of the victims , as weU as the guilty I shaU be looking out for Maureen Lee's other novels.

Dancing in the Dark deservedly won this year' s Parker Romantic Novel of the Year Award, and it is good to see that Orion, always a great supporter of the RNA Awards , have highlighted this with a sticker on the cover. Not all publishers bother. However, (and this is another moan about cover art!) when much is made of the ash-blonde fairness of both heroines , why do we have two lasses with dark auburn hair on the cover?

Marina Oliver

HOPE STREET

Ken McCoy, Piatk1.1s , 2000 , £17 99 , hb , 3 l3pp ,.ISBN 0-7499-0535-2

This is a saga set in Leeds between 1946 and 197 5 : following the deaths of her mother and little brother, Maggie Fish is left to the rough and ready care of her depressive father. Obliged to leave school at 15 , working in a factory appears to be her only option until an evening at the Hope Street Social Club sets her on the path to stardom as a singer. She immediately becomes a national success but just as swiftly loses everything as life strikes a series of cruel blows.

You expect suffering in a saga , and Maggie suffers. The first half of the book has good characterisation and the showbiz background gives it a contemporary spice In the second half, however, Maggie loses her feisty Yorkshire grit, and it is her long-suffering husband who eventually sorts her life out for her. More a romance than an historical novel

Val Whitmarsh

DAUGHTER OF TREMAR

Annie Marks , Robert Hale, 2000 , £16.99 , hb , 3 l 7pp, ISBN O 7090 6650 3

The daughter of Tremar is Julia Drake, aged forty in 1938 In the spring of that year, Dr Oliver Crompton learns that she has been the inmate of an asylum since 1914. Discovering that she was committed to Blackridge by her aristocratic father because she was pregnant , Oli ver lobbies for her release And so Julia returns to the manor where she spent her early years .

The novel focuses on Julia ' s coming to terms with the years she has lost. She is confused about her feelings for Oliver and for her estate manager, Matt Logan Needing someone to love , she lavishes attention on a disadvantaged fourteen-year-old , Annie Paynter When Julia realizes that Annie is abused by the same man who wronged her in 1914 , the reader understands there will be revenge But not until the final pages is the nature of this revenge revealed .

Although the story ' s events take place in 1938 , they are frequentl y linked to events which occurred in 1914 I liked the parallels between the two periods The author portrays her period well , and her setting - Cornwallmagnificently. Yet what I appreciated most about this novel is her understanding of people Promise - or lack thereof - early in life is no gauge of the adult a person will become

Claire Morris Bernard

THE MAN IN THE BOX

Thomas Moran, Alison & Busby, 2000, £7 99 , pb , 287pp , ISBN 0-7490-0465-7

A Jewish doctor passing through a remote Austrian village in the l 930s , performs an emergency appendectomy to save the life of a baby boy , Niki Lukasser. The doctor leaves , refusing payment.

Thirteen years later, the doctor again calls on the family , seeking refuge from the Nazis. Despite the obvious risks , their earlier obligation leads them to hide Dr Weiss in a carefully constructed 'box' concealed in the hayloft of their barn It is the task of the now adolescent Niki to befriend and provide for the basic needs of this stranger who once saved

his life It is a task that will endure for two years . I am in no way interested in the era of the Second World War from any standpoint. However , this book engaged me at once due to its very easy , relaxed and yet intimate style . Told in the first person , the reader is quickly familiar with the claustrophobic atmosphere of life in a small mountain village .

The story deals with the odd relationship that gradually builds between 'the Jew ' and the confused young man; often tense and uncomfortable , yet mutually reliant. It also examines the nature of friendship and betrayal, morality and hypocrisy in a small community and the angst of ignorance in youth

It is beautifully written , compelling as a tale, and a very unusual stance on what could otherwise be just another wartime story. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the development of relationships and issues of right and wrong, whether you would normally enjoy this period or not.

Bronwen Harrison

CHRIST IN KHAKI

Theresa Murphy , Robert Hale , I 999 , £ 15 99 , hb , ISBN 0- 7090-6432-2

This book details the brutal treatment a group of conscientious objectors received during World War I and the effects it had on them, their families and friends and some of their persecutors Though the main characters are ficticious , the treatment is horrifyingly authentic as the author attests that a relative suffered such She has not only not over-dramatized the tortures , but has even downplayed what happened which makes it even more frightening This is a powerful , thought-provoking book. The objectors , far from being the cowards they were branded as , were just as brave as those who fought in the trenches . Indeed, some of the soldiers wished they were as strong to object. The shattering effects the war and their treatment had on the lives of the objectors and those of they loved is vividly told Recommended

Anne-Marie Gazzolo

POPPY DAY

,

Annie Murray , Pan, £5.99 , pb , 2000 , 467pp, ISBN 0-330-39627-7

This story is set in Birmingham before , during and in the years immediately following World War .I. It has a heroine who , while not perfect, has so many sterling qualities that she is very likeable and you want to know more about her life The period and place are described in clear detail and, if the stories told by my grandmother and aunts are to be believed, are totally accurate.

This tale has everything that a good historical novel should have : illicit love , hardship , mystery and , finally , true love and a very satisfactory ending This is definitely one to pack in your case and enjoy on a sunny beach! Strongly recommended

Jan Shaw

THE DEPOSITION OF FATHER McGREEVY

Brian O ' Doherty , Arcadia, 2000, £11.99 , pb , 313pp, fSBN 1-900850-48-6

The setting is southern Ireland in the nineteen forties During a very harsh winter a tiny community up in the mountains is cut off for many weeks . Starving and freezing , they seem forgotten by everyone - true , as it turns out. And then, when they think nothing worse can happen, a mysterious illness kills off all the wives. Not only are the men left to look after their children alone they are unable to bury their wives , the ground being frozen solid

This causes intense misery for the village and especially to the priest , Father McGreevy Even when the thaw comes and normal life resumes , things will never be the same again . The first blow has been struck, setting the community on collision course with the outside world The motherless children are sent down from the mountains to be educated. They will never return The young men drift away . Soon nobody is left but the priest , his crazy old housekeeper and a few men plus brain-damaged Tadhg, who, without the guiding hand of his mother , runs wild

Soon rumours begin to fly around the town below that the whole village is performing acts of bestiality And to top it all , the bishop wants to close down the church

These are the insoluble problems that confront Father McGreevy His attempts to solve them his own way only accelerate the very destruction he wishes to prevent. His nemesis soon arrives and his deposition is his justification of his actions

The extreme cleverness of this novel lies in the double agenda of the deposition itself. As the old priest tells his own story , the reader sympathises with his goodness , his clear, unwavering faith and his struggle against the prejudices of the outside world, but also sees how his stubborn, uncompromising and ultimately blinkered faith is largely responsible for his own and his flock ·s downfall

Father McGreevy ' s religious isolation is far more chilling than the desperate winter that begins the tragedy . The war in Europe and all its implications are lost on the old priest. As he and the men of the village listen to, but barely comprehend the news of the distant conflict through his crackly old radio (when the batteries are working), the fading signal

and the interference that prevents them from hearing it clearly is a metaphor for the priest ' s total lack of understanding of the world beyond his simple faith.

l may have given the impression that this novel is depressing. Not so. There are moments of pure, if grim, hilarity that had me laughing aloud

It's not often I find a novel that has moved me as much that it haunts me long after I have put it down. The tone is perfect. Through the words on the page , you can hear the voice of this doomed priest. He is damned by his own confession.

Sally Zigmond

WITHOUT CHARITY

Michelle Paver, Corgi ,, 2000 , £5 99, pb , 576pp, ISBN , 0552 147524.

From London to Lincolnshire , from today through many yesterdays, Without Charity is the parallel story of two contrasting romances linked by familial bonds and deeply buried secrets . The protagonist, Sarah Dalton, is rudely pushed out of the life she has carefully created for herself in London with the devious but dangerously desirable Dominic. After suffering subsequent illness , depression and loss of earnings she is eventually forced to take on a new job investigating the history of Harlaston Hall

Unbeknown to her, and hidden in the chequered shadows of its history, are the foundations of her own identity As Sarah unravels the mysteries of the Hall she begins to recognise and restore the parts of herself long obscured and subsumed by her previous career and relationship Identifying with her Grandmother, Charity, she grows in strength and resolve towards a new independence.

Paver is at her best when describing the sights , sounds and smells of the early 1900s This story may have been better told without its twentieth century padding . Sarah Dalton stands apart from the city-characters who surround her They are flimsy and add no colour whatsoever to the narrative

It is possibly the strength of Charity's character, and the details of her struggle to override the discipline of her era , which relegate the rest as two-dimensional. By showing the nature of guilt and ongoing hardships Charity suffered, Paver exposes the facile nature of contemporary living in all its aspects By so doing she rubbishes it all as brittle and passionless which is why the close of the novel 1s so disappointing and predictable.

Francesca Lawrie

THUNDER IN THE SKY

Elizabeth Peters , Constable Robinson, £6.99 , pb, 2000 , 320pp, June 00 , l-84119-147-7

Elizabeth Peters' long running saga of Amelia Peabody has become very popular, according to some of the blurb in the front cover. 'If Indiana Jones were female , a wife and mother , who lived in Victorian Times , he would be Amelia Peabody Emerson ' The thing is though, he wouldn't then be Indiana Jones , and Indiana Jones this ain't. The substitution of a whole family for a more usual lone male in a spy stOI)' sometimes strays into near-fantasy At one point, for example , mother, father, son, adoptive daughter, and their cat go careering around as a group , in a nest of alleyways in Cairo , in hot pursuit of a presumed enemy agent.

I felt that the book tried to reconcile many irreconcilable aspects of both adventure yarns set in this era, and of married female action heroines Amelia's husband and son are perfect masculinity objects, tough and almost omnipotently competent on the outside , but loving and sensitive at the lower layers to which only intimates have access. Compared with these superheroes Amelia never approaches a female Indiana Jones , and sometimes wavers more toward the machinating matriarch And whilst Amelia et famille lu.xuriate in the sunny sweet life associated with the old British Empire , they are all committed to freeing Egypt from British control eventually, thus bathing in the sunshine of the moral high ground at the same time.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and there was something moving about the torch the writer is carrying for happy, near-perfect family relationships The spying was well done , and the denouement was excellent. The background material , historical and geographical was more than sufficient to transport me in space and time and I hope Amelia goes on for a few years yet.

Sydenham Hill

THE LOOKING GLASS

Michele Roberts , Little Brown , £15 .99 , hb , ISBN 0-316-85456-5

This novel is so full of beautiful images it is a delight to read The pebbled Normandy beaches are wonderfully described ; you can almost taste the sea-salt spray The faded chintz curtains and sun-bleached blue wallpapers are so evocative of French provincial life in the early years of the 20th century that you feel completely transported back.

The narrators of each chapter alternate between five women each telling their part of a single story which revolves around a poet called Gerard Colbert and the women who

adore him The main narrator is Genevieve , sent from the orphanage in which she grew up to work as a maid in a small French cafe in the period just before the outbreak of the First World War There is no hint of the trouble to come as the book dwells nostalgically on details of everyday life - my mouth watered at the descriptions of brioche and coffee breakfasts - and on Genevieve's maturing from child to young woman

Underlying the beauty of the book there lurks an unsettling sense of doom that is interlaced with folktale images of a siren mermaid Genevieve is haunted by her need to love and be loved which results in painful consequences until the cyclical nature of the story draws the characters together and reconciles them with their pasts just as the summer of 1914 dawns , with all that that forebodes

Fleur Routley

IN A DRY SEASON

Peter Robinson, Macmillan, 2000 , £16 99 , hb , 456pp , ISBN 00 , 0333 78063 9

In a Dry Season is the tenth in a series of novels featuring Chief Inspector Alan Banks , but it reads so fluently that it could just as easily be a stand-alone novel.

Two plot strands are unfolded in unison. The first set in a doomed Dales village during World War Two and culminating in the murder of a young woman, a murder hidden for over 40 years by the creation of the Thomfield Reservoir The other being a murder mystery revolving around the modem day discovery of the victim when a drought causes Hobb's End to resurface.

What could have been a very run-of-the-mill crime novel has been lifted above the ordinary by the expert blending of past and present , where the past can only be completely understood in the context of the present. And present actions continually echo and illuminate what has gone before

Peter Robinson has managed to create that most difficult of species : an intelligent read in a popular genre The past is so important because it teaches us much about the present and shines a light into the future and that's just what In a Dry Season seems to be saying

This is a subtle , haunting novel and deservedly shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1999.

Sara Wilson

TALKING ABOUT O'DWYER

C K Stead, Harvill Press , £14 99 , hb , US $23 2000 , 246pp , ISBN I 86046 710 5, First published by Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand, 1999

C.K.Stead is the only New Zealand writer to have won the New Zealand Book Award for

both poetry and fiction , winning twice for the novels All Visitors Ashore and The Singing Whakapapa.

The theme of the novel is the Mak-utu, which is a Maori curse. In this scenario the mak-utu was placed on the unfortunate O'Dwyer after he makes a heartrending decision over a wounded subordinate during the battle for Crete in WW2.

The tale opens with O'Dwyer's death His colleague and fellow expatriate, Oxford don, Mike Newall, is left to place the final piece of the jigsaw. In the aftermath Mike makes a cathartic confession to an elderly friend, Bertie Winterstoke . He recounts the events of the last sixty years , intertwining his own adventures Events take us from New Zealand to Crete to Croatia across to the United States and back to Oxford where O'Dwyer loses his fight with cancer.

This is an intriguing novel in that it fills in the gaps where the Southern Hemisphere played its part during the War. It moves along slowly and steadily in sympathy with the ageing characters . There is a sense of worldly-weariness , where the pleasures and pains of youth slide into the decay and discrepancies of old age . In particular, Winterstoke is a strongly-drawn character, mildly misogynistic , yet like an old soldier he's determined not to die but merely fade away This book is symbolic for the end of the previous century Everything changes ; not always for the better But it philosophises and strives to find a balance for the way of things Sarah Crabtre e

TIMESLIP

EYE OF THE WARRIOR

Richard Hawke , Capsco Press , 2000, pb , 200pp , ISBN 0-473-06612-2

Peter Kirkland visits his estranged younger brother, Scott, who seems obsesed with a long-bow that has come into his possession

Next morning Scott is found dead with an arrow shot from the bow in his eye If it was murder, who did it and if it was suicide how on earth did Scott manage to shoot himself in the eye with a longbow ?

Enter Kirsty Young , an American journalist with more than a passing interest in the bow. She has information about other deaths caused by a long-bow shot to the eye She also has researched a history of mythology about the English longbow dating back to pagan times.

Before he knows it , Peter is caught up with a quest and an obsession -a dangerous obsession that sees his personality begin to shatter as he travels through time to the Battle

of Crecy , the Crusades, even to the time of King Arthur

Richard Hawke is the pen-name of Colin D Peel , a New Zealand author of many novels and an archery expert It is this knowledge that shines through this intriguing and hypnotic novel. As well as exploring the development of myth and religion, he expertly tells a well-plotted and gripping tale that hooked me from start to finish It made me want to hold a longbow in my hand to see what effect it might have on me.

Sally Zigmond

THE FANATIC

James Robertson, Fourth Estate , £10 00 , pb , 310pp, ISBN l-84115-188-2

Written as a timeslip story set in Edinburgh , much of the action takes place in the alleys and closes which still exist from the time that the earlier part of the story is set.

The modem story is about Andrew Carlin, who is in today's society a bit of a loser He's pushing forty , has no regular job and has a close relationship with his mirror, with which he has quite bitter arguments. His mirror image is very disapproving of his lifestyle . Andrew gets a job as a ghost with one of the evening tours which operate in the centre of historic Edinburgh The character he portrays is Major Weir Weir was an infamous religious extremist and a very nasty individual who was burned at the stake for incest and bestiality in 1670. Weir had a protege , James Mitchel , who is the other protagonist in the novel ; Andrew Carlin getting drawn into Mitchel's story through his association with Major Weir

Mid 17th century Scotland was a time of great disruption , fanaticism and cruelty in the name of religion The Presbyterian Church of Scotland was at war with the Church of England There were terrible witch hunts , defamation leading to ludicrous trials and executions by the thousand under the corrupt government of the time.

James Mitchel is imprisoned on Bass Rock, not far from Edinburgh when his story opens Through Andrew's research into James' history we see the story of the earlier time unfold in all its bigotry and gore Because of his research Andrew Carlin is flung into a course of self-examination His own life has been as much a mystery to him as was the life of James Mitchel before his research. At the end we leave a man much more at peace with himself, even though he has not learned as much as he wanted , either about himself or James Mitchel.

This is a period of history which was little known to me before I read the book. The dialogue sections are written in a sort of phonetic dialect which I found somewhat hard

to read , but it does put over the feeling of authenticity for both time periods The author has undertaken a great deal of research to write a novel based on real people. Many of the politicians and churchmen of the day appear and many of their actions are also a matter of recorded history The author has woven a credible tale around actual events and written a fascinating account of a bloody period in Scotland's history

Amanda Statham

THE msTORY OF THE SIEGE OF LISBON

Jose Saramago, The Harvill Press , 2000 , £6 99 , pb , 320pp , ISBN l-86046- 722-9

Translated from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero

When a lowly proof-reader for a Lisbon publishing house inserts the word 'not' in a manuscript after the word 'did' his deliberate mistake is set to change the course of history Expecting to face dismissal when hauled before the directors , Raimondo Silva finds that the new editor, Maria Sara , is as much a maverick as himself. She encourages his rebellion suggesting that he re-writes the history of the siege of 1147 What if the crusaders refused to help King Afonso of Portugal take Lisbon from the Moors ? After all , who can really determine what is fact or fiction where historiography is concerned ?

A middle-aged bachelor with little experience of women , Raimondo finds Dr Maria Sara irresistibly attractive As his alternative version of the siege unfolds a romance blossoms In one stroke he has found his metier and his true love

This is typical Saramago His lyrical prose , the paragraph long sentences with minimal punctuation add to the impact of his writing. Combining the historical with the contemporary, continuously shifting between the past and the present he takes the reader on a fascinating journey. It is written with humour which is often tongue-in-cheek. Best of all Saramago shows an uncanny understanding of human idiosyncrasy

Ann Oughton

MULTI-PERIOD

TO THE HERMIT AGE

Malcolm Bradbury, Picador, 2000 , £16 00 , hb , 464pp , ISBN : 0 330 37662 4

This is a book about two journeys to Russiaone over 200 years ago , and one more recent one. In 1993 , during Yeltsin's crack-down on the Russian Duma , our narrator travels to Stockholm and then on to St Petersburg to take part in what is enigmatically referred to as the Diderot Project. He is joined in

Stockholm by various other members of the project, and as they sail towards Russia on the ferry ' Vladimir Ilich' more is revealed about Diderot: the son of a knife-maker in Langres who went to Paris and compiled the Encyclopedia, a book that changed the world . Moving between these dual narratives we learn how Diderot could be seen as the godfather of both the modem novel and of the computer.

This is a challenging and entertaining novel , which I thoroughly enjoyed. When I opened the book and realised it was written in the present tense, I have to admit that my heart sank , but very quickly I ceased to notice, so engrossed was I in the two stories Malcolm Bradbury has taken the known facts of Diderot's prolific life and woven a fascinating tale with them The sections on Diderot's journey to Russia are informative and enjoyable without being over-powering , and Bradbury imagines his regular meetings with Catherine the Great of Russia , over the course of the winter of 1773/4 as miniature playlets, a device which works surprisingly well All the characters, even the minor ones, leap o!T the page , and the book left me wanting to know more about Diderot and his acquaintances and friends - indeed on a recent trip to Paris I visited the Pantheon to pay homage to Voltaire and Rousseau! I do not think you can ask for more from a book.

Shirley Skinner

THE FOREST

Edward Rutherford, Century, £17.99, hb , ISBN 0-7126-7999-5

Having read two of Rutherford's previous novels - Sarum and London- l was interested to see how The Forest would compare Sorum I found to be highly original, fascinating in its historical detail and engrossing as a story By comparison London , though equally well-researched and absorbing as a historical text, became boring - the characters bringing the history to life gradually disintegrating into predictable stereotypes

I was sorry to find The Forest resembling the latter more than the former. Rutherfurd's historical framework - the development of the settlements in the New Forest - from the beginning of the 12th tcentury to the beginning of the 2 Ist - was a colourful backdrop and once again the research was impeccable This is certainly an effortless way to brush up on your English history.

The grand sweep of the story starts with the infamous murder of King William Rufus and includes such great events as the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada and the execution and restoration of the Stuart kings It also homes in on the smaller occurrences that made up the life of the New

Forest people such as deer hunting , smuggling, boat-building and the Verderers' Court

The story of the New Forest is told through the histories of seven fictional families who live alongside each other through the generations . They marry and feud, serve and rule, largely depending on their original feudal station in life It is the same device Rutherford used in his other books but somehow seems overly contrived here Of course there is always going to be an element of contrivance in a structure like this. Much as we historical romantics would like to believe that there are obvious family characteristics that link our generation back to our ancestors , it is no doubt highly unlikely that physical resemblances on the scale suggested by this saga survive in the reproductive melting pot.

Strangely though, that isn't why I feel The Forest doesn't work as well as it should . I would actually have preferred to see more family traits brought out in the successive generations , more poetic balancing of cause and effect and more continuity between the chapters. Each chapter in the book focuses on a different aspect of life in 'the forest' and usually several centuries pass between chapters. So at the beginning of each chapter you have to rapidly gather the threads again and glance back at the family tree to work out how this new story relates to the previous one These links are often tenuous , realistically no doubt, but are somehow not satisfying Each story finishes neatly making the book into a series of short stories resembling a mismatched patchwork rather than an integrated whole

The story of the forest is expressed beautifully in gorgeous prose : the descriptions of the changing seasons were truly a pleasure to read (except when characters interrupt the descriptive passages with irritating one-liners in an effort to keep them in view). But it is told at the expense of the characterisation. This becomes inconsistent and stereotypical resulting in, for example, poorly imitated Jane Austen in the 1794-1805 chapter

There are some lovely moments in the book, entertaining tales and enjoyable history lessons . For residents of the New Forest, people familiar with the area and local history fanatics the book is a must.

Fle ur Routley

CHARLOTTE

D M Thomas , Duckworth, £17 99 , hb , 173pp

ISBN 0-7156-3004-0

I came to this book with a certain amount of resistance to the concept of a modem writer taking on the mantle of a novelist who is still famous - and dead Charlotte concerns the discovery of a manuscript intended either as a

continuation of, or as a sequel to Jane Eyre From its content, Charlotte Bronte had either gone through a sexual revolution, had intended these writings solely for her own use - or it is a fraud Its style is such that Bronte experts appear convinced of its authenticity

Presenting this material at a conference in Martinique, Miranda is amused when the girl designated to look after her, becomes confused, believing that it is Madame Bronte who has come to give a lecture on Miranda Stevenson Miranda is a woman in crisis It pleases her to take on the persona of someone else , liberates her to be someone other than the wife of David, the mother of two children and the daughter of a father to whom she is uncomfortably close

It has probably taken me longer wondering how to present this novel to a reader than it took to read it. From being sucked into the story of newly married Jane Rochester, I was totally absorbed by the life of Miranda I was there in Martinique with this compulsive woman, and each chapter opens a new and frequently surprising insight into who and what she is.

In a way , the newly discovered writings of Charlotte Bronte were for me an irrelevance It was the story of Miranda that gripped me and kept me wanting to turn the page.

This is the first book that I have read by D M Thomas. I found the writing strong and the style succinct - and the concept very unusual Strongly recommended Janet Mary Tomson

FANTASY

LORD OF EMPERORS

Sarantine Mosaic Vol. 2, Guy Gavriel Kay Earthlight, (Simon & Schuster) , 2000 , £16 99 , hb , 531 pp , ISBN 0-684-86156-9

The task of following Sailing To Sarantium , the first Sarantine Mosaic novel based on the intricacies and politics of the Byzantine court , was never going to be easy However, Guy Gavriel Kay has succeeded in producing a sequel every bit as absorbing and compelling as the original.

He weaves a fine tapestry of highly believable and very human characters From a variety of disparate origins they move through widely differing situations , to fulfilment of their individual and collective purposes The resultant whole culminates in an intriguing blend of surprise

The tale begins in the court of the Bassanid King , Shirvan the Great , a character new to the mosaic , progressing through an array of both new and familiar characters The central figure , Caius Crispus , develops from a grief-stricken , surly , reluctant pawn in the

games of the mighty into a man of self-determination and instinctive statecraft.

A natural non-conformist who learns the hard way that compromise is not conformity, Caius Crispus, (Crispin) , threads his own intricate and often precarious path through the maze that is court life in the Imperial City. As in the mosaics of his craft, he discovers in life the importance and relevance of the seemingly insignificant. Every tile of a mosaic has its part to play whether part of the background or a central figure. So too in life must Crispin play his part, just as no artisan could leave a commission unfinished, incomplete.

As the mosaic reflects life , both literally and otherwise, so too does another prominent feature of Sarantium, The Hippodrome. The regular crowds of 80,000 citizens who gather to watch the chariot racing are only too aware of the strength of partisanship amongst followers of the two opposing sides The Hippodrome is segregated, effectively using the general spectators as a buffer between the two factions. Naturally , the wealthy and the powerful are spared the possibility of coming face to face with the more unseemly excesses of the factions , watching as they do from the comfort and safety of their seated facilities The chariot racing has a universal appeal , perhaps because in itself it is little more than a struggle for survival and supremacy. So too are court politics, as is life itself for the ordinary citizen

Guy Gavriel Kay creates characters that reflect recognisable life , enabling the reader to identify with the strengths and weaknesses he portrays Crispin is but the principle example of a skill, which animates even the minor characters in relation to the tale as a whole Lord of Emperors is another brilliant volume from an inspired author who keeps his readers ever hungry for more Recommended.

Tracey McEwan

ALBION: THE WHITE PHANTOM

Patrick McCormack, Robinson, 2000 £7 99 , pb , 454pp , ISBN 1-84119-051-9 , 454 This book is the second of Patrick McCormack ' s novels which tell of the turbulent years after Arthur ' s death It should be noted that McCormack takes his inspiration from pre Malory sources so it is important to approach this book without pre conceptions No Sir Lancelot sneaking in and out of Guinevere ' s bed chamber or Merlin in this one

The first novel in the series, The Last Companion, was reviewed in issue 4. The White Phantom concerns the quest for Arthur ' s Queen, Gwenhwyvar who disappeared following Arthur ' s death at the battle of Carnlann As Bedwyr hunts for her he himself becomes hunted by the Clan Menestyr

who believe he knows the whereabouts of a chalice stolen from them many years ago McCormack ' s main strength as a writer is his power of description Britain, as it must have been over one thousand years ago , is brilliantly evoked The sea crashing against the jagged rocky shore and the vast moors scarred by monuments which were ancient even then. His characters are also strikingly authentic ; these are primitive people living in an untamed, unforgiving world The fighting men are not knights in shining armour, they are warriors and whenever somebody draws a sword the result is always savage and violent. There is none of the false national unity other writers impose on the country either, as a multitude of minor lords and princes struggle for dominance in the power vacuum created by Arthur ' s death

As readers may not be familiar with the original legends McCormack finds it necessary to delve back into earlier events , making the novel feel like two stories running side by side Inevitably, they sometimes end up tripping over each other McCormack's approach will appeal to those who like long novels , with plenty of scene setting building up tension before the final action The drawback here is his tendency to overload the narrative with too much detail , which slowed things down There is also the occasional slide into modem language -I noticed ' lip service · twice

A good book, if not a great one Well worth investigating.

Andrew Zigmond

DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST

Juliet Marillier, Voyager £9 99 , pb , 552 pp , ISBN 0-00-224736-4 2000

Sorcha lives with her six older brothers and father , Lord Colum in the fortress of the math of Sevenwaters in Ireland Life is good , and young Sorcha develops her healing skills under the guidance of Father Brien . The math is constantly under threat by the Britons and the Vikings from across the sea , but one day another more covert invader arrives The Lady Oonagh charms Lord Colum, and they marry Oonagh sees Sorcha and her brothers as threats to her power, and seeks to dominate and destroy them.

This book is a Celtic historical romantic fantas y. The author has used the basis of a Grimm's fairy tale to create a more more adult fairy story Written in the first person , with Sorcha as the narrator , it creates an intense, interwoven world, where the line between reality and magic can be blurred . The uses of telling stories as a way of understanding and illuminating life events is well highlighted within the novel itself.

The narrative is rarely dull, despite Sorcha's enforced passive role. Although she suffers, and is resentful , this does not stifle the liveliness of the book. Sorcha is a determined and strong character even when silent with her fellow players. Some characters are quite well drawn, but others substantially lose out. The six brothers were always going to be a struggle to define well , for example. Just occasionally, I wondered if the author was trying to combine too many popular elements into the tale - such as Vikings (referred to but not appearing) , fairie folk , the Celtic twilight and druid lore However, in the end , the story did not fail to charm After all , it is a fairy tale.

Not all the threads are brought together by the end of the book, though some fates are hinted at. Fear not , this is book one of the Sevenwaters trilogy , and the reader is given a 'teaser' chapter of the nexi book, Son of the Shadows

Sandra Garside-Neville

SHORT STORIES

THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SWORD AND HONOUR

Ed Mike Ashley , Constable Robinson, £6.99 , pb , 2000 , 512pp , 184119 123 X, 512 . This is a collection of twenty-six stories about war and battles , some by authors who were contemporary to the events , some by well-known authors of the more recent past and some modern work.

One story, The Duel , by Joseph Conrad stands out head and shoulders above the others , dealing with a seemingly senseless feud between two officers of La Grande Armee There are other stories by well-known writers of the past, including Alexandre Dumas , Stephen Crane and Ambrose Bierce Dumas' tale gives us an insight into the unpleasant custom of duelling Stephen Crane develops a fraternal theme , which is a tour de force in a limited domain Bierce's tale is not half as good as some he wrote , and seemed to me to be a poor choice on the part of the editor. Mark Twain is represented by a rather awkward attempt at humour, which didn't work at all for me Of modern writers Daphne Wright takes the honours with her excellent story of the disastrous retreat of the British from Kabul under Elphinstone during the First Afghan War . A whole host amount to literary equivalents of computer shoot 'em ups Some British (or French) chappies attack a fort or something, with lots of gratuitous killing Many of the modem purveyors of this sort of stuff settle for pale imitations of Sharpe, and his creator duly chips in with a foreword .

One thing clearly distinguishes the older from the newer writers : the modern heroes and heroines are often somewhat at odds with the imperial ideal, constantly worrying about the ethics of the thing Not so the older lot. As Ashley thoughtfully puts it: 'Some of the words and expressions may no longer politically correct. '

Sydenham Hill

THE HUMAN KIND

Alexander Barone, Robert Hale, 1999 (originally published 1953) , £15 99, hb ISBN 0- 7090-6392-X

These linked short stories, detail the various experiences the author had in Sicily and Normandy mainly during World War Two and the soldiers and civilians he came into contact with The first story begins with his childhood and his first bike ride with the older boys and it immediately engages the reader, bringing people and events vividly alive as do all the stories. Other favourite stories were Mrs Grocock's Boy and the epilogue about a thought provoking episode during the Korean War All the chapters are well written with the 'you are there' intimacy an autobiography affords . Of course, you don't always want to be there as Mr Baron is just as adept at describing the brutality and inhumanity of war, but this is a book I recommend with only a few reservations.

Anne-Marie Gazzolo

NON-FICTION

LILLIE LANGTRY: MANNERS, MASKS, AND MORALS

Laura Beatty, Vintage , 2000 , £6 99 , CA$17 .95 (£6 .39 from Amazon co uk) , pb , 336 pp , ISBN 0-099-28785-4

This first-time author pens a welcome addition to the catalogue of titles devoted to the ' professional beauty' of the Victorian age , and Beatty's ranks as the strongest by far in its scholarship and scope.

Jersey-born, Emilie Le Breton , daughter of a notoriously libertine Dean, escaped her small island by marrying Anglo-Irishman Ned Langtry The marriage swifl:ly soured With the support of her physician - possibly the only medical practitioner to prescribe metropolitan living as a ·cure· for illness - the disilJusioned Lillie transferred herself to London, where her beauty was painted by Millais , Miles , Whistler, and Poynter. Garbed in her signature black dress , lovely Mrs. Langtry was an ornament to bohemian and aristocratic society . Her face, figure , and charm attracted Edward, Prince of Wales, and she became the first 'official' mistress to Queen Victoria's

heir Her royal lover financed her Court Presentation and built her a house by the sea, unbeknownst to her husband Ned, buried in debt and numbed by drink

The Jersey Lily's spectacular rise was followed by her gradual but inevitable fall from grace. Society dismantled her pedestal while, in seclusion in France, she bore a daughter fathered by Prince Louis of Battenburg, or the Prince of Wales , or her longtime Jersey admirer , Arthur Jones Her complex but enduring relationship with Jones is a focal point of this biography Lillie destroyed his letters, but he preserved hers Beatty is the first biographer to publish them.

Cleverly, Lillie adapted to her changed circumstances and successfully reinvented herself as actress. WelJ served by a dubious reputation and her famed beauty , she made her fortune on the stage - first in London and later in the United States Naturally, being Lillie, there were affairs

After Ned Langtry's death she married a younger man and bred racehorses She served as Muse for her dear friend Oscar Wilde , but adamantly refused to play the role she inspired, Mrs Erlynne in Lady Windermere's Fan

Beatty creates a riveting portrait of a woman who wore many masks , was empowered by her looks and her money , but sadly, never recovered from the rift with her beloved daughter after their true relationship was revealed

Margaret Barr

A SCANDALOUS IDSTORY OF THE ROMAN EMPERORS

Anthony Blond, Constable Robinson, 2000, £7 99 , pb , 256pp, ISBN 1 841 I 9 1736

This readable little book covers much the same ground as I, Claudius and Claudius the God, (Robert Graves) In this book though one gets in addition one emperor before Augustus and one emperor after Claudius There are also chapters on slavery, Roman food and other aspects of life at that time (yes , sex is in there as depicted on the cover!).

All those attitudes one developed as a result of reading Graves' books are challenged by the author. Augustus wasn't so nice before he stopped being the dreadful Octavian, and settled down to being just a common or garden emperor type . Livia didn't commit all those murders Tiberius was an unlovable sort of chap , but did his best. Caligula wasn't mad , just a rather badly brought up kid , who was killed in a fit of pique by some young patricians he had insulted from time to time Claudius himself wasn't at all the decent stammering chappie He was as big a swine as the worst of them And finally Nero was really quite a good poet. The world lost an artist

when he kicked off He didn't set fire to Rome , either, which is a shocking let down

The bits about Roman life in general are well worth reading All that business about vomitariums was true , apparently , and being a slave wasn't as bad as it is cracked up to be , according to this.

Sydenham

Hill

THE RAINBOW PALACE

Tenzin Choedrak, Bantam Books , 2000 , £7.99, pb , 352pp, ISBN 0553 81303 X Compiled from tape-recorded interviews by Gilles Van Grasdorff this is a true and moving story of a man's coming to terms with the destruction of the culture he knew and embraced at the hands of ruthless invaders

Tenzin is a Tibetan, brought up as a monk in a society where the spiritual dominated the practical. Devoted to his Buddhist faith and the welfare of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin advanced in medical and spiritual knowledge until the fateful day in March 1959 , when in Tenzin's words 'everything toppled' He describes how the Chinese invaders imprisoned him and subjected him to physical and mental abuse

Tenzin is no anti-Communist propagandist. He tells of schools and hospitals built by the invaders But he tells of a horrific twenty years of imprisonment for his ideals He is honest enough to admit trying to please his captors - yet retain his loyalty to the exiled Dalai Lama ls the destruction of an ancient and mysterious religious culture by a transplanted European philosophy a tragedy? Is Tibetan medicine a foolish and sometimes dangerous witch-doctory ? Were the Chinese the forces of progress?

The questions never change, but the answers always do This book poses the question with the most exquisite honesty, and at the same time gives us a riveting glimpse of the old kingdom that breathed the spiritual air so close to heaven on the roof of the world

Sydenham Hill

THE WILDEST DREAM: Mallory, His Life and Conflicting Passions

Peter and Leni GilJman, Headline, 2000 , £18 .99 , hb 288pp, illus , ISBN O 7472 7150 X In 1924 George Mallory died with his climbing companion Sandy Irvine during an attempt to be the first to summit Everest. Long a legend among the mountaineering fraternity , interest in him was renewed with the discovery of his body in 1999, mummified intact as if it had become one with the mountain that killed him

Product of a conventional Victorian middle-class clerical family - Winchester , Cambridge, teaching at CharterhouseMalJory was anything but conventional in his

attitudes A paradox, in fact. From a conservative background he became a radical , open to new ideas in politics and education ; he was a fit , courageous sportsman and soldier who was also an intellectual - he published a biography of Boswell and hovered on the fringes of Bloomsbury ; a heterosexual who had at least one homosexual affair ; and a man with his eye on the prize who could be endearingly (and sometimes dangerously) absent-minded But perhaps the most difficult conflict for Mallory was that between his love for his wife Ruth and his passion for Everest. Ruth is the other hero of this biography. Though she feared for him and knew that for her and their children he would have foregone his final tryst with the mountain, she loved him too much to ask that sacrifice of him, but instead made a greater one of her own

Seen through the eyes of his family, friends and fellow-climbers as well as his own letters , this perceptive portrayal helped me to understand his obsession and left me feeling, as Ruth did, that what mattered about George Mallory was not whether he conquered Everest, but the quality of the life he lived I can ' t help thinking that it would make a splendid novel.

Sarah Cuthbertson

THE INGENIOUS MR FAIRCHILD

Michael Leapman, Headline , May 2000, £12.99, 280pp , hb, illus

ISBN O 7472 7359 6

This is the second non-fiction book I have reviewed for the Society and it confirms me in the belief that the same creativity and storytelling skills are called into play as when writing a novel - plus the discipline of extensive and accurate research.

Anyone who ponders on the layers of human experience buried beneath the streets of London will have a little of those past histories brought to life in this biography of Thomas Fairchild (1667-1729) , a gardener up from the country and tending a half-acre in Shoreditch. Called Hoxton, it now lies buried beneath a housing estate

Diligent , intelligent, but without a scientific education, Fairchild gave voice to the discovery that plants did not , as until then believed, produce seeds which were exact replicas of themselves, but created new vegetable life by a process of sexual encounter. The discovery would not have been so significant had it not challenged the current belief in God's creation as complete, and that it therefore should , or indeed could, not be interfered with Fairchild had already accidentally come upon a hybrid plant , a cross between carnation and sweet william, and discovered that this could only be reproduced

by taking cuttings , for , like the mule, the offspring were infertile.

With only his half-acre , Fairchild produced unusual plants for growing enthusiasts Some he cultivated himself, others he imported from the Americas - a dangerous undertaking carried out for him by Mark Catesby who became a close associate. He was much admired by other leading horticulturists and perhaps the culmination of his career was to address the Royal Society when the 82-year-old Isaac Newton was in the chair.

Michael Lcapman, in his introduction, bemoans the fact that not much is known about Fairchild He makes good the shortfalls by both speculation and by widening his remit to look at gardening as a whole in the 17118th century. The result makes fascinating reading A writer on gardening himself, his enthusiasm for the subject shines through Janet Mary Tomson

IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

Nathaniel Philbrick, Harper Collins 2000 , £16 99 , hb , 302 pp, ISBN 0002570572

If I had to name my top ten classic novels high on the list would be Herman Melville's magical Moby Dick This is the story behind that story , the tale of the Nantucket whaler Essex that was smashed to pieces by an angry whale late in 1820 There were twenty crewmen aboard and they had to escape in three small boats Three months later they were picked up of South America - or rather three of them were, along with the cannibalised bones of some of their mates.

This was a sea journey even more epic than that made by Captain Bligh and Nathaniel Philbrick tells in exhaustive (and exhausting) detail what transpired during those terrible months and afterwards when the three had to pick up the pieces and continue with their lives as well as being famous for considerably more than five minutes. I say ' exhausting ', not because the book is boringit is anything but - but because it is so detailed in its descriptions that when I reached the end there weren't really any questions left to ask In places it is more like a novel than the work of nonfiction that it is and anybody who is imagining a textbook needs to think again. Like Moby Dick it is a tale of human suffering, or man against the mighty forces of nature and of courage and endeavour in the face of awful hardship. There is just so much detail in here - whale biology , the nutritional values of cannibalism, early methods of navigation - that there isn't space to write about it. Some people might want to know less if this sort of thing doesn ' t interest them as much as it does the author and this reviewer -

but it is hard to imagine one book containing much more Highly recommended Rachel A Hyde

HENGEWORLD

Mike Pitts , Century, 2000, £17 99

Having recently acquired an interest in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain (yes I have read Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell) I was very much looking forward to reading this book, as according to its subtitle it purported to describe ' Life in Britain 2000 BC as revealed by the latest discoveries at Stonehenge, Avebury and Stanton Drew.' What I actually got was a brief history of the past archaeological digs at these sites followed by a review of the current archaeological evidence for the dating and use of these and other henge sites in Britain There was nothing on how people actually lived

This is not to say that it is a bad book, indeed it is actually a very good book, it just did not live up to my expectations from the cover. It's easy to read considering the fairly scientific nature of some of the chapters , clarifying some archaeological terms and methodology which had previously bafiled me, and explaining clearly current methods of dating. Having said that , some of the detective work on the skeletons from the sites did get confusing at times , and I had to re-read the relevant sections to make sure I knew which set of bones they were currently talking about.

The author makes it easy to follow the somewhat complex building phases at Stonehenge and Avebury , and gives an insight into the actual scale of these constructionsthe photo showing the size of the original ditch at Avebury is amazing. He also kills off some of the old (and not so old) myths that surround these sites , and comes up with his own ideas for their use

Despite the fact it didn't cover what I initially expected l did enjoy this book, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the prehistory of Britain or these sites in particular .

Richard Tyson

THE DECEIVERS

Geoffrey Richardsonc , .Baildon Books , Shipley 1997 , pb , ISBN 0-9527621-0-2 (Available directly from the author :P O Box 107 , Shipley, W. Yorks BD17 6UR or from Arnazon co uk at £5.99)

This book details the author's conviction that he has solved the mystery of who murdered the Princes in the Tower.

Richardson moves through the story with a quick, very easy to read pace , telling the tale of the Wars of the Roses, the fallout after the death of Edward N and the fate of the princes You feel like a fly on a wall during the secret

discussions between Richard's enemies that culminated in the deaths of Hastings , Buckingham, the princes , Richard himself and even extends to the execution of Perkin Warbeck during Herny VIl's reign. What happened to the princes is a subject close to my heart and I found the secret discussions probable and most interesting in illuminating the motivations for Hasting's execution and Buckingham's rebellion I recommend this book to anyone interested in the controversy , as well as Mr. Richardson's other books , available through him, inscribed if you wish, The Hollow Crowns , A History of the Battles of the Wars of theRoses ; The Lordly Ones , A History of the Neville Family and their part in the Wars of the Roses. His latest is The Popinjays which is about the Woodville family .

Anne-Marie Gazzola THE CROSSING

Kathy Watson, Headline , June 2000 , £14 99 , hb, 288pp , illus. ISBN O 7472 2341

The Victorians said it couldn't be done But in 1875 Captain Matthew Webb made history by swimming the English Channel, the first man ever to do so His amazing achievement made him a super-hero , feted in grand style and , for a while , the most courted man in Britain. He achieved more than just a place in the record books ; he brought swimming out of the doldrums in an age when 'bathing' was a penance to be endured only on doctors' orders. When fame and acclaim eventually began to fade Webb looked for new and lucrative challenges . Always an exhibitionist, he was drawn into the seedy world of showmanship, driven from one self-debasing scheme to another Finally, in a desperate bid to regain his former glory he attempted to swim the Niagara River and, tragically , drowned. Webb's life is at once a story of triumph and folly, fame and ruin But nothing can detract from his one glorious achievement.

Kathy Watson writes in a clear, concise style. Once a competitive swimmer herself, she knows the physical and psychological effects of a long-distance swim . Her description of Webb's channel crossing is masterly He spent 22 hours in freezing water, often swimming against the tide Stung by jellyfish, driven off course by savage wind and waves , and temporarily blind in one eye, small wonder he collapsed on reaching Calais

It is a tribute to the author that I read so avidly since I have absolutely no interest in swimming as a sport. Yet there is much else to interest here . I particularly enjoyed the account of Webb's cadet training for the Mercantile Marine. The author has researched meticulously, quoting her sources at all times, and there is much period detail that would not be found in a novel. Yet the book reads like a

novel and the Victorian atmosphere comes across well. I was captivated enough to read it at one sitting

Celia Ellis

CIIlLDREN'S

POW

Martin Booth, Puffm, July 2000, £4 99 , pb 147 pp ISBN 0-141-30421-9

It is 1917 Ted Foley is a ship's boy aboard the HMS Nomad which is in action at the battle of Jutland and is sunk Ted is picked up and taken to Brandenburg POW camp The reader is given a detailed account of the day to day life in the camp . Food is always sparse . In winter the weather is vicious . The tap is frozen and Ted has to gather snow in a bucket and melt it on the stove. But Ted still manages to keep himself busy with navigation classes and wood carving where he is making a model of his father's fishing boat. In summer when conditions are better there is cricket and bowling and outside work parties But we are also shown the grimmer side of Brandenburg Camp

There is an old mill al the farm, and tied to a jetty on the river is an old boat. This gives Ted a daring idea. It has always been assumed that escape from Brandenburg Camp is impossible but Ted has a plan . Highly dangerous but perhaps just possible.

The descriptions of Brandenburg Camp are so realistic and lifelike that readers can feel that they are actually there. This is hardly surprising as POW is based on the exploits of the author's grandfather, Chief Petty Officer George Pankhurst, who is actually brought into the book.

This is a gripping story with an authentic background but the fact that it is based on the memories of an actual prisoner makes it something far , far more than just an adventure story . There is a useful glossary at the back. 11+

MaryMojfat

TIME RANGERS:A WHALE OF A TIME

Rob Childs , Scholastic, 1999 , £2 99 , 96 pages , ISBN 0-439-01184-1

I understand that this is one of a series by Rob Childs featuring the same group of friends who tour the country playing football against the local teams at various locations . While not playing football some of the team always manage to find a fault in the time/space continuum and drop through into a past time and find themselves right in the middle of danger. In this particular tale the team are in Whitby and have not one but two adventures First they land at Whitby Abbey at the very moment it is being sacked and burned by

Vikings , and, as they escape from that danger they encounter another time-slip and are picked up by Whalers andthere are several arguments with the Whaler's cabin boy con ceming the rights and wrongs of the Whaling Industry Eventually, the gallant 21st Century lads manage to get back to their own time and win their match .

I think this is good rollicking stuff and an easy , undemanding read for seven to nine-year-olds or even unsophisticated readers in older age groups It is a way of making learning history a relatively painless task and this is some thing dear to my own heart.

Jan Shaw

The story is about a boys football team, who travel around to different towns to play games of football On their journeys a member of the team, ' Worm ' somehow manages to travel back in time taking his team mates with him On this occasi on they encounter Vikings The Vikings make them go to a burning Abbey to retrieve the treasure inside. They escape from their captors when the ship they are sailing in is sunk in a storm. Then they find themselves in another time zone being rescued by the crew of a whaling ship They sail back to Whitby where they return to the present by the means of a whale arch (gateway made from whalebones) The story, I thought , was too fast and with not enough content. It did not hold my attention or interest. I think it would be enjoyed by children young er than myself who are just starting to read adventure stories for the first time . In these circumstances they should find it an easy and e~joyable read Callum Shaw aged 11

THE LOST DIARY OF TUTANKHAMUN'S MUMMY

Clive Dickinson: Collins , £3 99 , pb 108pp , ISBN 0-00-694579- l

Described as ' an Egyptian Scandal - Nefertidy tells all ', this book purports to be the long lost diary of Queen Nefertidy found in a buried lunch box. In 1347BC the Queen was sent on a Nile cruise by her son Tutankhamun . Throughout her journey she wrote regularly both in her diary and on a series of postcards to Tutankhamun describing everything she saw Clive Dickinson has found a new and refreshing way in which to portray ancient Egypt from life at Court to the descriptions of hieroglyphics , scribes , slaves , etc It is all there There is plenty of humour of the sort small boys love For example the one horse chariot is called a Pharrari ; Nefertidy visits Memphis and stays with Helvis and Presletti ; the priest is called Twink El Twinkle and Tutankhamun's special friend and adviser bears the name of Ankhy Pankhy and so on . This is one of a series of 'diaries' from Eric

Bloodaxe, Viking Warrior, to Queen Victoria . It will appeal to the young reader newly released from reading schemes and hopefully foster an interest in the past.

Marilyn Sherlock

This book is a humorous story which is based on a real Egyptian story (Tutankhamun, a Pharoah) The story is defined for an age-group of about 7-10 year olds There is no evidential proof of these characters ever existing I found this book a good read but a bit young for me. The story is about Tutankhamun who sends his mother (Nefertidy) on a cruise on the River Nile to Heliopolis. I like the bit where Nefertidy goes to visit Helvis and Presletti I liked the story quite a lot but it got boring towards the end

Simon Knock, aged 12

THE KIN - NOLI'S STORY

Peter Dickinson, Macmillan , 1999, £3.99 , pb , ISBN 0-33- 373ll-0.

This book is a pleasure to look at, with delicate pencil drawings by Ian Andrew and a dramatic cover. It is the second book in a four-part story set in Africa about 200,000 years ago . The eight Kins, each under the protection of a different magical animal , or 'First One' , have been driven from their Good Places by fierce strangers In Book One , a boy , Suth, became the leader of a group of children from the Moonhawk Kin who broke away from the rest of their clan and survived the eruption of a volcano Book Two is about Noli , the group's spiritual leader She is the one who hears the voice of Moonhawk, the Kin's First One, and who is able to guide Suth with her intuition . The children enter a canyon where they find people from a different race who do not have speech. At first th ey wonder whether the strangers really are 'people', but soon realise that although they lack language the strangers are humans like themselves. The two groups go on together to search for new Good Places and encounter danger and other challenges on the way.

The characters are simple but clearly defined Their goodness and the way they care for each other and respond to outsiders make the story uplifting . The story builds slowly, with a measured pace which seems appropriate to the subject. Between each chapter are 'oldtales' - stories of the First Ones These add depth to the portrayal of the Kin , and there are echoes back and forth between the myths and the main narrative

The dialogue is all in the present tense This device helps to convey the lack of complexity in the Kin's language; it also distances the story , giving it a heroic quality. In general this is an imaginative reconstruction of the inner life of these ancient people The

issues - what it means to be human, the responsibilities of leadership , the uniqueness of each person and the need to recognise and nurture this - are timeless This is a classic story, beautifully told, and I look forward to reading the next two books

Ann Turnbull

THE JOSLIN de LAY MYSTERIES:IIJ. HELL'S KITOIEN

Dennis Hamley, Scholastic, 1999, £3 99 , pb ,. 274 pp , ISBN 0-590- I 9768-1

Joslin de Lay , a young minstrel , fled from France after his father was murdered Now he is singing his way to Wales where he hopes to find his mother and learn why his father was murdered

In this book Joslin finds himself in Oxford. He stays with a scribe, Roger Crabbe , his ward Joanna and his nephew Matt As well as being a scribe Roger also has a hall for students and that is where Joslin stays Joslin gets himself made minstrel to Doncaster College - and at once finds himself in the midst of many more murders . But finding a murderer is not the only mystery which Joslin has to solve There is also the question of the strange manuscript in the library of Doncaster College

There is a third puzzle for Joslin Why is the notorious mandrake , a plant from a hot country , growing in the quadrangle of Doncaster College? The notorious mandrake which emits a shriek when pulled from the ground and kills the person who uproots it?

Medieval Oxford, Doncaster College, Roger Crabbe's Hall, the work of a scribe - all are meticulously described . Nevertheless this is very much a novel of ideas ;. Medieval religion, medieval life, Medieval ideas about the workings of the human body and the world around us There is a useful note at the end.

I feel that this is the best of the Joslin de Lay mysteries to date. The style of the writing is more that of a straight mystery and there is an absence of the undercurrent of horror which there was in the first two books Teenage Mary Moffat

THE COPPER CRUST

Mair Wynn Hughes , Pont Books, 1992 , £2.50 , 6lpp , ISBN O 86383 831 6

Ten year old Caleb , weak after a fever , leaves the countryside he loves with h is family when there is no work. Together they move to the copper-mining town of Amlwch, but though his family soon find work, Caleb isn't strong enough to break the copper ore What he really wants is to work with horses ; and after some hardship and hungry times , he's lucl,.-y enough to do so , when he earns the gratitude of a local landowner.

This is a short book suitable for 7 to l 0 year olds , set in North Wales and originally published in Welsh. It's a simple but effective portrayal of the lack of choice available to poor people two hundred years ago A young reader can easily see how country people were forced by lack of work to migrate to towns and take up new ways of living and working in order to survive The language is straightforward and the details of everyday life create a vivid portrait of poverty and hunger . Ideas of inequality are also explored . Mair Wynn Hughes has written the story of one family in a way that addresses wider issues of the period, and The Copper Cnist's 61 pages offer plenty of food for thought for younger Key Stage 2 children.

Belinda Copson

I liked this book. It was sad when Caleb couldn't find work because he couldn't earn money to help his family

Lucy Copson , aged 7

THE RIDDLE GIRL AN ANGLO-SAXON-STORY

Sheila Lane, Anglia Young Books, 1996 , £4 25, ISBN l-87 I 173-55-8

This is a simple but engaging story of a young, spirited, Anglo-Saxon girl who, by the end of the story , has left herding for her father to become official Riddler (in training) at the thane Chiers hall The stoiy actually demonstrates that our present-day 'cussedness' (according to Paxrnan's The English) in defence of our 'rights,' and that very sense of our rights being dependent on natural justice, stems from our Anglo-Saxon heritage Although it was without the creature comforts that we take for granted today, it was a society with civilised values , which the story rightly defines as not inhering in material possessions but in freedom from lawlessness and a strong sense of right and wrong

Alda is from a poor family who have to sell her slow-witted brother into the thane's service in order to buy a herd of pigs , their sole livelihood. After the lord's unruly son has made off with the pigs , which she has neglected because of her intense interest in bird-watching, she proceeds to Lord Godric's hall to tell of the theft and, courageous and undaunted , to demand their return What happens there reveals the Anglo-Saxon fascination with riddles Not only does she solve riddles set by the old official Riddler, she makes up one of her own with which to win back her father's pigs . And this is where her interest in birds at last proves to be useful to her.

A delightful read for Key Stage 2, 7-11 year olds It cries out for an accompanying teachers' pack of some of the lovely riddles

from AD 700-1000 that are still extant, like my favourite, 'In marble halls as white as milk, Lined with a skin as soft as milk, With in a foW1tain crystal clear, A golden apple doth appear. No doors there are to this stronghold, Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.' (An egg)

Linda Hall

SMOKE IN THE TUNNEL

Sian Lewis, Pont Books 1991, pb £2.50 , pp62, ISBN 086383 7 36 0

This 62- page volume is less a novel than a long short story, and a confident reader will get through it in one sitting. Set in a Welsh village near Aberystwyth, during the First World War. the ostensibly simple story has deeper resonances which \\-ill raise questions for more mature children. Owen, away from school with a chest cold, has two personal challenges to achieve; is he brave enough to go into the tWlnel and breathe in the train smoke which is supposed to be good for coughs, and can he face the bullying schoolteacher? These small questions of courage are set against wider issues , as men from the village including Owen's cousin Will start signing up to fight in France. There is popular hostility towards those who are slow to sign up , and Mr Parry , the bullying schoolmaster, whose son is one of the last to sign up, is particularly derided Some yoWlg men join up at once , motivated by excitement and peer pressure , while others take their time and come to a more considered decision . Is Owen brave for returning to school despite his fear of Mr Parry? Is Mr Parry brave for publicly admitting he had been wrnng to treat Owen harshly? Crowd behaviour also features strongly, and the fickleness of a crowd which proclaims one young man a hero and another a coward on the flimsiest of evidence illustrates the emotions and uncertainties of the period Sian Lewis , by using as her setting a small village linked to the world by a railway line, creates a focused and vivid picture of scenes which must have occurred in thousands of communities throughout Wales at that time . Suitable for older children at Key Stage 2

Belinda Copson

BENTLEY'S CHRONICLE

Brian Pentangle, Pentangle Publications 2000, £4.99 , 96 pages, ISBN 0-9533123-1-3 Available over the internet from Amazon.co.uk or direct from Pentangle Publications , PO Box 535 , Maidstone, ME15 8FP . £4 .99 post free.

Self published but so good that it deserves a brief mention

Thomas Bentley has a burning ambition . It is to edit his own newsletter. But this is 1947 before the days of computers , word processors

and printers. Thomas is determined, resourceful and resilient. He copies out the first editions by hand and gets his friend Whipple to help . Then he finds out about carbon paper. Finally he is given an old typewriter and an old Gestetner. Then he has to find a never ending supply of copy for his paper To this end he starts to investigate a petty crook he calls Mr Trilby. This results in danger for himself and one of his staff

Bentley's Chronicle shows just how much our country has changed in the space of fifty years It is packed with touches which bring the I 940s to life - the secondary modem school with its cane-wielding headmaster, the radio instead of television, bread and jam for tea , sweet rationing, the shortages and the danger from unexploded bombs Above all, the very core of the story belongs to the postwar period and the descriptions of the Gestetner and the stencils are fascinating We are also reminded that the 1940s were a time when children still had their innocence and crooks sold smuggled watches instead of drugs This book certainly has a very 'fortyish' feel about it.

This is a well crafted story which is interesting and gripping for children, useful for teachers and something of a nostalgia trip for those adults who can remember the 1940s Illustrated by the author

MaryMojfat

CHIMNEY CHILD. A VICTORIAN STORY

Laurie Sheehan. Anglia Young Books. 1998. £4 .25 , ISBN 1871173574

Combining information about working conditions for young chimney sweeps with Dr Bamardo's philanthropic schemes to rescue destitute children from the streets of London, this is a gripping detective story/historical novel of an orphaned climbing boy who turns out to be a girl (yes , they too were sent up chimneys).

We first meet Vic Wells as a skinny eight-year-old having her skinned knees toughened with brine by her master, so that they would not bleed all over the fine furnishings of the large house of a City banker Albert, the banker's son , observes, and is moved by her ill-treatment, but with the butler sets off in pursuit of her and her master when they notice that his mother's jewel-box has disappeared Ruff, the master, is caught but denies the theft, so that suspicion falls on Vic , who promptly scarpers Though he is unwell with a seious cough, Albert pursues her. After some fearful close encounters with mudlarks he falls in the mud and starts to sink, whereupon they leave him to his fate He is fortunately rescued by Vic and they take refuge on a coal barge, sleeping out on a foggy

night, which exacerbates Albert's weak chest. Vic sets out to find Albert's father , whose contributions to charity enable Dr Barnardo to set up his homes for children . On the way she is arrested and thrown into Newgate prison. In the meantime Albert has tried to limp home unaided, but collapses and is found by the yet-to-be-renowned Dr Barnardo himself. Eventually, thanks to Albert, Vic is released , taken to hospital and reunited with Albert Even the identity of the thief (the butler) is discovered, this time thanks to Vic . This is an action-packed story with many ups and downs and a vivid sense of high and low life in Victorian London that wiJI enthrall any child aged 8-11.

Linda Hall

STRANGER IN THE GLEN. A TALE ABOUT ROB ROY

Kirsty White , Franklin Watts, 1997 , £6.99. 62 pages . ISBN 0-7496-2586-4

This is one of the Sparks series for Key Stage 2 readers. Catriona Lamond's father is about to drive his cattle to the market at Drymen when Rob Roy's man comes to him and says he must pay one hundred merks blackmail. (Blackmail was the money Rob Roy charged to permit cattle to go through areas which he controlled) If he pays that to Rob Roy he will not be able to pay the rent and if he does not pay then Rob Roy will steal the cattle Catriona's parents do not know what to do but Catriona has an idea That night when everyone is asleep she wakes her younger brother Rory . She tells him that they are going to take the cattle to market themselves They fetch the drover's dog to help them gather the calves and then they take the hill path - the one which Rob Roy will not be watching. But they are suddenly confronted by Rob Roy himself and his men What is going to happen?

This little story about the famous eighteenth century Scottish outlaw moves at a good pace and holds the interest. And Catriona is a spirited young heroine Illustrated in black and white throughout. Comes with useful notes on : Rob Roy MacGregor, Gaelic, and the highland clans 7+ Mary Moffat

'US' here means that the following books are published, but not necessarily set, in The United States.

US PRE-IIlSTORY

THE WATERS BETWEEN: A Novel of the Dawn Land

Joseph Bruchac, University Press of New England, 1998 ( 1999 pb) , $22 95, hb ($14 95 pb), 29lpp, ISBN 0874518814

Th e Waters Be twe en is Joseph Bruchac ' s third novel in the Dawn Land trilogy Ten thousand years ago, the Abenaki Indians inhabited what we now know as the states of New York and Vermont. The novel is set in the springtime as the Abenaki are preparing their families for a move to summer lodgings on the shores of Petonbowk, or Waters Between This is the lake we know as Lake Champlain It is while v isiting Petonbowk from his village that deepseer (or shaman), Young Hunter makes a frightening discovery A huge snake-like sea monster is preying on mammals venturing to the lakeshore As Young Hunter begins to sound the alarm among the villages , he senses another menace is plaguing his homeland This time the monster is another Abenaki Watches Darkness, the albino outcast deepseer bent on destruction , has a twisted, evil heart and ' is very hungry for the spirits of all who are deepseers. '

Bruchac does not clarify why Watches Darkness is an outcast, though he relates the deepseer ' s evil to an abusive and tortured childhood. In a classic battle between good and evil , Young Hunter finds he must stretch his powers and rely on the help of others to overcome this dual , converging menace

Anyone interested in ancient Native American lore and spirituality will find this novel fascinating Bruchac is an accomplished and skilful storyteller and he knows his subject well Throughout The Wat ers Between Bruchac incorporates many Abenaki folktales , most of which blend well into the story line. Through Bruchac ' s vivid descriptions the readers senses the author ' s deep love for the land and its wildlife as well as for the Abenaki culture As Bruchac makes clear in this novel , the Abenaki believe all living creatures are connected. Deepseers are able to communicate with other creatures and are at times able to

another slithers like a snake. Deepseers are

born with mystical powers which must be developed These powers include the ability to ' see ' beyond the restrictions of the human eye , to travel with the mind, to read and influence another ' s thoughts

At the same time that it is a successful historical and cultural novel , readers should be warned that The Waters Between is also a novel of horror, suspense and violence The Petonbowk monster pursues his victims relentlessly and displays a fierce vindictiveness when reacting to the innocents who cross his path More frightening still is the rage-filled Watches Darkness , who takes great delight in psychologically stalking his victims before torturing and killing them In this aspect, The Waters Between is not the typical historical fiction novel of ancient peoples

Jean Langlais

LEAVING EDEN

Ann Chamberlin, Forge , 1999 , $23 95 , trade pb , $13 .95 , pb, 255pp , ISBN 0312865503

Na ' amah is Adam ' s daughter by his first wife Lilith, a mother she barely remembers Yet despite the absence of her mother and the fact that her father largely ignores her, she is a valuable member of her tribe, for she is taking over as the storyteller from her grandmother. In this tribe everybody has a place , even Eve who is Na ' amah ' s friend and is attracted to Adam.

They are hunter-gatherers , roaming freely from place to place and worshipping the Goddess as they have done for longer than anybody can know The men have their secret rituals but so do the women, including their sacred fig tree at one of their camps This is the symbol of woman and sacred to the Goddess, who is supposed to be Na ' amah ' s mother - but surely this is just a story? She does come back , however, and reveals her true self to them, thrilling Na ' amah but dismaying Adam For he yearns to take Eve as his new wife , but the only way he can do this according to tribal law is to kill a bull aurochs - and since the ice started to draw back they have become impossibly rare But Adam and Eve are not like the rest of the tribe and are determined to show to all how the Goddess ' age has passed and the dawn of a new era is about to come upon the world.

This is the story of Adam and Eve as you have never read it before! The mythic is rendered historic (or rather prehistoric) in Ann Chamberlin ' s skilful hands , and she has created a poignant tale of the simplicity of those long-ago times before the new male-dominated age dawned Civilization is a

high price to pay for the loss of such innocence and simple wisdom , and in the delineation of the prehistoric lifestyle a true sense of the golden age of our dreams is engendered Yet this is no obscure literary tome, and fans of Jean Auel and Kathleen O ' Neal Gear will find themselves in a familiar place Ann Chamberlin does not merely tell a good story but has the added dimension of gi ving the reader a new slant on the Bible ' s story of the fall from grace A book that stays in the mind .

Rachel A Hyde

US:BIBUCAL

QUEENMAKER

India Edghill , Talitho Press (available at www xlibris.com ), 19 99, $ I 8, trade pb , 376pp, ISBN 0-7388-0733-8

This Biblical historical focuses on a little known Queen : Michal , daughter of King Saul , wife to King David At first we can empathize with Michal's happiness as she grows up in a loving famil y and eventually attains the marriage she thinks she desires. We feel her frustration and hurt as the years pass since David fled Saul's wrath, with no word of possible rescue from her forced new marriage and exile Time and the love of this new famil y heal the wounds of her spirit, and she is content.

Enter David, after ten long years , who installs Michal as his Queen, not for love but for politics. To attain and keep his kingship , David's life is paved on his lies , ambition, and the blood of any in his way This includes Michal's beloved second husband.

It is at this point, where Michal is as much prisoner as Queen , that Edghill's writing declines. Edghill would have us believe that Michal's smoldering hate and need to expose David as the monster he is enables her to become the unseen puppeteer of destiny. Bathsheba, depicted as a naive, simpering personality, is just not credible . The historical changes the author makes in the placement of events and the nature of key characters are not justified strongly enough for us to think, ' Yes , it could have been this way .'

Although the novel is pleasant enough to read in itself, Edghill falls into one of the many traps that await writers who take an obscure character from the annals of history and thrust them into the star role. The Bible refers too little to Michal , and Edghill overcompensates The result , instead of heightening awareness and honoring Michal's role in history , prevents us from believing in this Queen's ability to influence destiny . Suzanne Cran e

UNVEILED

Francine Rivers , Tyndale House, 2000 , $12 99 , hb , 173pp , ISBN 0-8423-1947-6

The first in her series of five ancestresses of Jesus , Unveiled is an easy-to-read tale of Tamar. Tamar, a Canaanite, marries cruel Er, son of the Hebrew , Judah. In accordance with Hebrew custom, upon the death of Er, she marries his brother , Onan, and upon his death , should have married Shelah, Judah's youngest son . Tamar receives nothing but humiliation , cruelty and indifference from her new famil y, and Judah, suffering from guilt for his part in brother Joseph's fate , does nothing to alleviate these wrongs He succumbs lo the lies and hatred his wife spews forth about Tamar , and instead of allowing the rightful marriage to Shelah, he essentially exiles her dishonorabl y to her unloving father's house. Tamar , resorting to trickery , is at last able lo receive what is deservedly hers : honor and respect.

Ms. Rivers' simple narrative shows that through loyalty , strength and faith one is rewarded No stigma is attached to Tamar's trickery , and the Bible upholds her as a role model. Indeed, she is commended for attaining her natural rights Along with 43 pages of Bible discussion/study at the end , Unveiled is recommended as an enjoyable way to touch a little of mankind's past.

Suzanne Crane

US: ANOENT EGYPT

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS MARSH: Lord of the Two Lands, Vl Pauline Gedge , Soho, 2000 , $25 , 368pp , hb , pb due Oct 2000) , ISBN 1-56947-191-6 In ancient Egypt , ' Lord of the Two Lands· was one of Pharaoh's titles , and Pauline Gedge's new series is the story of how two generations of an Egyptian family of nobles from Thebes fought the Hyksos , the foreigners who had ruled Egypt for a century In this first volume, the struggle is begun by Seq-en-en-ra, who has been goaded beyond endurance by Apepa , the Hyksos king .

Like all of Gedge's books based in ancient Egypt and she has written about Pharaoh Akhenaten in The Twelflh Transforming and Queen Hatshepsut in Child of th e Morning , among others the strength of this current volume is her detailed research and her ability to evoke a land and culture that existed 3600 years ago The weakness of Th e Hippopotamu s Marsh is also the failing of her other works , namely the lack of a main individual to whom the reader can be sympathetic In drawing characters , warts and all , Gedge gives us weaklings and Quislings , but no strong central person we want to cheer on. Seq-en-en-ra is an engaging , sympathetic

character, but in parts of the book which lack his presence, the focus of the story blurs She foreshadows who will be the chief protagonist in the next volume , but has not yet turned him into a man to care about. Nonetheless, the book is interesting and worthwhile, and the story of the struggle to again have an Egyptian as the Lord of the Two Lands is a monumental one. If you are interested in a good glimpse of what ancient Egypt looked like and how her people lived, by all means give The Hippopotamus Marsh a read.

Elizabeth Garner

US: CLASSICAL

THE SAND-RECKONER

Gillian Bradshaw. Forge , $23 95 , hb , 384 pp , ISBN 0-312-87349-9

Gillian Bradshaw takes the title of her novel about Archimedes from one of the ancient thinker's own works It's difficult to dramatize intellectual life for the novel's page, and Bradshaw does well to focus her account on what might be the most dramatic time of her hero's life : with his father dying and his home island of Sicily invaded by Roman armies during the first Punic War (264 BC), Archimedes is called upon to leave his studies in Alexandria and return to Syracuse The city-state's King Hieron quickly discovers the genius he has on his hands and realizes he must do everything in his power to keep Archimedes building catapults for him instead of for Ptolemy in Egypt. Archimedes' own preference for more cerebral pursuits and reticence for warfare, a pair of love stories and the very interesting character of Marcus the Roman slave provide the conflicts Coming from a family of mathematicians and theoretical physicists myself, I found the portrayal of the Muse-possessed sketcher in sand and spilled wine delightful Sometimes I felt the tale to be a bit pedestrian in plot, language , and the presentation of another time's mindset. In less capable hands , it might have faltered. True brilliance, however , arises in a number of places , including the mathematical musings on the old father's death , the awl--ward Archimedes' usage of parabolas and triangles to try and explain interpersonal relationships , and the moral triumph of Marcus the sla ve The theme of freedom , exemplified by verses from the Odyssey where more chains , not fewer , keep the hero free from the sirens' song bring The Sand-Reckon e r to the timeless level of the best historical fiction .

Ann Chamb e rlin

US: FIRST CENTURY

ASHES OF BRITANNIA (The Warrior Queens)

Haley Elizabeth Garwood, The Writer's Block, 2000 , $19 95 , 366pp , trade pb

ISBN :0-9659721- 7-8

' From the ashes of Britannia arose a legend ,' and her name was Boadicea, Druid priestess and Queen of the Celtic Iceni This third novel in Garwood's Warrior Queen Series takes place circa 60 AD , when Rome , ever hungry for more , was establishing herself in Britannia Boadicea, thriving on clan warfare, Druidic training and the knowledge of her destined queenship , is aware of the Roman

Across the chessboard is Suetonius Paulinus. His chosen path for elevation is the military Years of service for the glory of Rome eventually land him the governorship of Britannia Suetonius invariably must meet the fiery Queen of the Iceni , and it is with mutual respect that each acknowledges the other's abilities and intelligence The beauty of Garwood's novel is that she clearly shows that in the inevitable tragedy to come , there is neither villain nor hero

Boadicea is usually either maligned as a hot-headed, ignorant, rabblerousing barbarian or extolled as the beautiful , doomed, helpless Queen cruelly sacrificed to Rome's greed. On the other hand, Suetonius, being the symbol of Rome , is either portrayed as a cold, intolerant racist or the anguished victim plagued by the uncivilized tribes of a gloomy island The freshness of Ashes is the objective view taken , that the true cause is what must come when two distinct nations collide. Both Boadicea and Suetonius are the products of their cultures , and cannot be condemned in trying to uphold the values they were taught.

Like the previous two novels in Ms Garwood's series , As hes of Britannia is quick , light reading The simplicity of her writing allows the reader to have a general sense of when events take place , while concentrating on how and why the experiences of Boadicea and Suetonius influence their decisions This is to reinforce Garwood's message that no matter the place in history's timeline , cultures clash The beauty in Boudicea's rebellion is that the event which was less than a heartbeat in tim e has immortalized the Iceni Queen as a symbol for freedom while the Roman Empire has been dust for centuries

Su z ann e Cran e

MEMOIRS OF PONTIUS PILATE

James Mills , Baker Book House, 2000 , $16 99 , hb , 222pp , ISBN 0-8007-1773-2.

Mills mi xes the Roman historical genre with the early Christian form The blurb states that Mills started with what he with no false modesty calls ' a remarkable idea : What if one of the Gospels had been written by an enemy of Jesus , not a friend ?' An anti-semitic Pontius Pilate, in exile at Vienne, around the year 64 AD , narrates a history of the events when he was procurator of Judea , Samaria and Idumea Mills prefers the tradition of a smug and satisfied Pilate to those which made him a prisoner, a suicide, or a saint.The narrator Pilate starts out as a Roman version of a modern anthropologist, demonstrating a considerable knowledge of Jewish history and lore , as well as early Christian history Some of his knowledge came from Caiphas's secret memos describing the perfect matches between the messianic prophecies and Jesus' life as insistently as the Gospel of Matthew Pilate says he has access to a biography of ·the carpenter ' by one of his followers , and we might assume that the document is ' Q ', the source of the Synoptic Gospels This explains the detailed description of such New Testament stories as the visit by the Magi and the visit to the Temple by the young Jesus. Caiphas explains Jesus' miracles as coming from Satan Pilate points out how easily they may have been fabricated , but his friend the Baptist-beheading Herod Antipas was convinced the miracles were genuine Mills' Pilate does not give any indications of Christianity, nor does his philosemitic wife who is sympathetic to Jesus , but not a follower as in some traditions . On the Roman side, Pilate's ties to the deposed Sejanus fixes him in Roman history A visit from the future emperor Vitellius highlights Roman corruption. The links to Pilate in the historic record are used to establish a plausible theory about the years in which Jesus was born and died.

Other fictions have brought Pilate to life better than this Paul Meier's professorial novel , Pontius Pilate shows its sources well enough to see where the history ends and fiction begins Anatole France's Pilate in Procurator of Judea is the complete opposite of Mills' on the issue of Pilate's memory of Jesus. Medieval mystery plays ascribe colorful penalties or repentance to sainthood. Memoirs of Pontius Pilate is well-intentioned, but it brings no new revelations . Ultimately it is the Gospel according to a dull and unobservant man who missed the point of what was going on around him

James Hawking

US: SIXTH CENTURY

ARTHUR. THE BEAR OF BRITAIN

Edward Frankland , Green Knight , 1998 , $14 .95 , trade pb , 346 pp , ISBN 1-56882-102-6

For review , see UK section.

US: MEDIEVAL (GENERAL)

DEUS LO VOLT! Chronicle of the Crusades

Evan S. Connell , Counterpoint, 2000 , $28 , 462 pp ISBN 1582430659

For review, see UK section

I US: TENTH CENTURY I

SWORDS ACROSS THE THAMES

Haley Elizabeth Garwood , The Writers Block, I 999 , $17.95 , trade pb , 405 pp , ISBN O 9659721-8-6

Alfred the Great of Wessex marries his daughter Lae to Aethelred, ruler of the neighboring Mercians Trained as a warrior , Lae joins her husband, father and brother in a war against the Vikings. Forts are built , battles are fought , and Lae becomes renowned for her military prowess She is eventually acknowledged as ruler of Mercia , and secures peace with the Welsh, Irish and Scots before dying in 918. Her life is not as charmed as it appears. Encounters with Eiric the Viking and his family cause her to question her hatred for their people. And strife with her only daughter, Wyn means the Mercian succession is insecure

This novel starts well Its details evoke the Dark Ages , and its characterization is good. The author knows her facts , and keeps a consistent point of view Yet as the story progressed my interest waned This may be because my interpretation of facts differs from Dr. Garwood's I think, though , it has more to do with careless prose : the repetition of words and of facts , and occasional blatant contradictions. It was also hard to follow the passage of time Finally, two thirds of the book concentrate on the 890s . When her principal achievements of 907-9 I 8 are recounted , they have the disappointing sense of an afterthought.

Claire Morris Bernard

A JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM: A Novel of the Middle Ages

A. B. Yehoshua ; translated from the Hebrew by Nicholas de Lange , Harcourt , 2000 , $14 , trade pb , 309pp , ISBN 0-15-60 I 116-6

Set in the year 999 , this is the story of Ben Attar, a Jewish merchant from Tangiers His relationship with his nephew (and business partner) Abulafia has been threatened by his nephew's remarriage

Anxious to retain the trading partnership and to prove the worthiness of double-marriages , Attar travels to medieval Paris with his two wives , a Rabbi , and his Muslim business partner The book explores the themes of religious and racial tolerance and the breakdown of these as the Christian Millennium approaches , foreshadowing the Crusades and the Inquisition to come as well as drawing parallels to our own time

The language is often lyrical , but the entire novel is told in omniscient third person, which creates a distance between reader and events Although a glimpse of Jewish culture at the end of the first millennium is provided, the potential of the historical setting is never full y realized. By trying to create parallels between the Middle Ages and now, the novel was not aable to fully settle in and explore the milieu in which it was set.

Trace y A.

Callison

US: ELEVENTH CENTURY

THE TALE OF MURASAKI

Liza Dalby Nan A. Talese (Doubleday) 2000 $24 95 , hb , 426pp , ISBN 0-385-49794-6

For review, see UK section

THE KING OF VINLAND'S SAGA

Stuart W MirsJ...-y , Xlibris (available at www .xlibris com) , I 998 , $18 ,trade pb , 637pp , ISBN 07388-01526 this novel is the unusual tale of Sigtrygg Thorgilsson, orphaned grandson of the legendary Viking Leif Eiriksson Sigtrygg is denied this inheritance by his unscrupulous relatives in his native Greenland . To seek his future and fortune he gathers a crew of adventuring spirits and hunts for the mythical Vinland : a domain stumbled upon and abandoned by his famous ancestor

When Thorgilsson's assemblage of colorful characters reach their destination , they are confronted with all the dangers which exploring an unknown terrain brings This rag-tag band of men must deal with Vinland's native people , the Skrailings , but also the

unforeseen arrival of Thorgilsson's Greenlander kinsmen, come to dispute his claim

The action/adventure tale is a page-turner. Mirsk-y's style is straightforward, in your face , to the point! But it lacks descriptive details and well developed characters to invigorate and energize it. At some junctures the story moves at the pace of a snail on a slow day Nevertheless , the reader will still be entertained, entranced and very involved with the plot and the lives of the characters

Wendy Zollo

US:TWELFfH CENTURY

THE FORGOTTEN QUEEN (The Warrior Queens)

Haley Elizabeth Garwood, Writers Block, 1998 , $17 95 , trade pb, 420pp , ISBN 0965972194

After the death of King Henry I England and France were thrust into a civil war which lasted for many years

The war between Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Mathilda , is the stuff of great storytelling. Stephen usurped the throne of England despite the fact that Henry wanted his daughter, Mathilda , to rule , and even though Stephen swore allegiance to Mathilda twice during her father ' s lifetime

Garwood insinuates , however. that Stephen ' s motivation for stealing the crown was personal. She posits that Stephen and Mathilda were lovers for many years before Stephen made himself king, and that Mathilda ' s first child, the future Henry II , born during her marriage to Geoffrey of Anjou was Stephen ' s son Stephen ' s undaunted passion for Mathilda and his inability to have her for his own - spurred by his own wife ' s relentless political ambitions - was , perhaps , the source of the usurpation An interesting theory that makes for some fun reading . My problem is not with this theory , but with Garwood s presentation of the story . The informality of the language (other characters calling Mathilda ·Matti' throughout the book , a nickname which is totally inconsistent with her ' Warrior Queen ' image) and Garwood ' s refusal to have Mathilda abide by strictly adhered to social conventions of the day seem anachronistic.

I respect the fact that Garwood is taking the forgotten women of English history out of mothballs However , Garwood should not have modernized Mathilda , who , as far as I'm concerned, is a woman for the ages . Ilysa Magnus

THE SUN AND THE MOON

Patricia Ryan, Signet, 2000 , $5 99 , pb , 338pp, ISBN 0-451-20032-2

King Henry II of England suspects that his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine , conspires against him . To ferret out the truth, he enlists the aid of his trusted spy, Hugh of Wexford, and a learned but innocent scholar , Lady Phillipa de Paris Posing as Hugh ' s wife , Phillipa must use intelligence and feminine wiles to expose the traitorous secrets of the queen ' s confidante and her unscrupulous brother.

This is an engrossing depiction of medieval historical romance , although I was a bit thrown by the incorporation of courtly love into the storyline since its depiction is often at odds with its true definition. Yet the story is an intriguing treatise on courtly love gone awry Some readers may object to the explicitness of the sexual escapades , but those who seek a riveting and entertaining adventure will be richly rewarded

Cindy Vallar

US: FIFTEENTH CENTURY

THE HERETIC

Lewis Weinstein, Goodnewfiction com, 2000 , $24 95 , hb, 373pp, ISBN 0-9671348-0-3

Set in fifteenth century Spain, Th e H eretic tells the story of a converso Christian who rediscovers his Jewish roots , with dire consequences Steeped in late medieval culture , the novel immerses the reader in a world of religious intolerance and cross-cultural cooperation

Mr Weinstein clearly did a wealth of research and manages to weave most of it in skillfully His characters , both fictional and historical, are vital living beings , well motivated, true-to-life and, more importantly , true to the period Gabriel Catalan, his wife Pilar , their son Tomas and daughter-in-law Esther, shine through the book, confronting their past and fighting for a future for their family

Set against the turbulent period in Spanish history just prior to the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition, the story follows Gabriel's quest to preserve the great works of Judaism using the newly invented printing press He and his family risk their lives to keep their activities hidden from the Church authorities , most notably from the Dominican monk , Friar Ricardo Perez, a protege of Torquemada

The narrative is compelling, sweeping the reader along on a well-paced journey, while

the setting comes alive with the sights, sounds and smells of medieval Spain The history of the relationship between the Jewish people and the Christians is incorporated in a believable way so that readers become acquainted with the historical background behind the rise of the Inquisition

The writing is uneven at times, some of the dialogue stiff and the prose a little dry However the plot is so strong that it more than compensates for those minor technical distractions I do not hesitate to recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction , especially those who enjoy learning about different cultures as they read

Teresa Eckford

US: SIXTEENTH CENTURY

DAWN ON A DIST ANT SHORE

Sara Donati , Bantam, Feb 2000, $24 95 (£14 .82), hb , 463 pp , ISBN 0553107488

As this is a sequel of sorts, I would advise readers to read Donati ' s first novel, Into the Wilderness , before Dawn on a Distant Shore Both novels tell the story of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, their families and the people they encounter in their daily lives.

It is the winter of 1794 on the edge of the New York wilderness , and Elizabeth has just given birth to twins , a boy and girl, with only the assistance of her ten year old stepdaughter Hannah

Nathaniel had gone down the mountain to fetch Curiosity, Elizabeth's friend and the closest thing to a midwife to be found in Paradise A blizzard strikes , stranding them in town with no way of traversing the rugged mountain in the blinding snow By the time Nathaniel returns to the cabin in Lake in the Clouds . Hannah, mother , and babies are asleep by the banked fire. His relief is profound but short-lived

While in Paradise , Nathaniel received a letter informing him of the arrest of his father by Somerville, the Lieutenant Go, ernor of Montreal. Hawkeye had gone to Canada to avoid the law in New York some months prior to the birth of the twins Ostensibly the arrest was for questioning about ' Tory gold' but the real reason may be revenge for a relationship that went sour between Nathaniel and the Lieutenant Governor ' s daughter Nathaniel is compelled to leave immediately for Canada to see Daniel set free Once in Montreal , Nathaniel and some accomplices plot an escape for Hawkeye that goes awry Somerville captures them and they are m danger of being hung as American spies

So begins another adventure for Elizabeth, this time with three children, her cousin Will Spencer and friend Curiosity Freeman. What starts out as a difficult trek to Montreal turns into a marathon voyage across the sea to Scotland. Eventually, the Bonner family finds their way home to Lake in the Clouds But before they do there is kidnapping, adventure on the high seas , pirates , clan wars, and much more

While not as good as Into the Wilderness , this novel is still a good read. The plot seems a bit contrived and there are many unanswered questions But if you read Donati ' s first novel you will surely want to continue with this next Bonner ad venture .

Deborah Sanford

US:SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

SOR JUANA'S SECOND DREAM

Alicia Gaspar de Alba , University of New Mexico Press , 1999, $24 95 , hb, 464pp , ISBN 0-8263-209 l-0

This lovely novel can be read without any previous knowledge of the famous Mexican nun The author evokes the feel of 17th century Mexico and draws that world around you Frothy chocolate and squash blossom quesadillas , cigarillos and ink-stained fingers , are images that fill the pages while Juana ' s own words and arguments carry the story The setting in historic Mexico City takes the reader from the opulence of the Marquis ' palaces to the solemnity of the convent.

Juana Ines was an illegitimate criolla (Mexican of Spanish descent) born in New Spain the first century following the Conquest. Her written work, which is highly regarded, is available in print today, including poetry, plays and theological treatises . Little is recorded of her actual life As a child of remarkable intellect and learning, she came to the attention of the ruling royal appointees dispatched from Madrid to rule Mexico In this society, she was considered only slightly inferior by birth, but as a woman she faced endless trials The Inquisition was on the wane in the Spanish empire, but still powerful Her intellect brought her both fame and notoriety , was a source of blessing and of condemnation

A combination of first and third person narration gives a more complete picture of Sor Juana ' s daily life and the development of her writing Juana ' s fictional journal entries and letters fill out her literary pieces that survive. Flashback is used sparingly to set the stage for her encounter with the Inquisition Most of the novel follows her from child prodigy to court favorite to sister in the convent. The debates

and mental exercises presented as conversations by the author are a delight and a challenge to follow

Professor Gaspar interprets Sor Juana with meticulous scholarship and a feminist perspective. The scholar"s decision to enter a religious order has puzzled her readers Her friendships and relationships with women are evident in her poetry. The author has extrapolated from the facts a basis for lesbian sexuality , and this is realistically depicted

Juana makes the choice to enter the convent not as a positive vocation (although she is devout) but as a rejection of marriage and childbearing She feels so strongly regarding the sexual act with men that she beats her slave after discovering the slave ' s pregnancy. Her friends , comprised of the most highly educated men and women of that time and place, compare her to Sappho Her enemies call her an unnatural woman and accuse her of mocking her religious vows Juana ·s heroics are inspiring to read Mary K Bird-Guilliams

THE BLIND IN DARKNESS

Stephen Lewis , Berkley Prime Crime. 2000 , $5 .99, pb , 265pp, ISBN 0-425-17466-2 Old Man Powell is found murdered in his cabin , the crime disguised as a scalping The natural suspect is Massaquoit , an Indian whom midwife Catherine Williams keeps as a servant after his tribe is decimated by the Puritan settlers While Catherine is portrayed as the heroine , in reality it's Massaquoit who takes the lead to clear his name Other suspects include Powell ' s apprentice Thomas , recently disappeared, and the Worthingtons , somber \'illage leaders with something to hide

Reading novels not first in a series can leave one with the feeling of entering a crowded room filled with strangers, and in the case of this book, the newly met company is stand-offish and distant. Catherine is barely given an introduction, and I hardly felt the sense of community that would be expected in a tightly-knit Puritan settlement.

Comparisons with Margaret Lawrence ' s mystery series , also set in early New England and featuring a midwife as heroine , are inevitable, and in my opinion this novel doesn ' t quite measure up . The old-fashioned language used by the characters, though , seems perfectly appropriate, and the situations showcasing Catherine ' s medical techniques make the novel worth reading

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

THE SAMURAI'S WIFE

Laura Joh Rowland, St. Martin ' s Minotaur, 2000 , $23.95 , hb , 293pp , ISBN 031220325X

Normally the most absorbing aspect of even a historical whodunit is the plot, but in Rowland ' s superb Sano and Reiko series her spellbindingly exotic descriptions of 17th century Japan are e very bit as interesting as her teasing plots

In this fifth outing for Sano he is sent to the Imperial City of Miyako to investigate the murder of Left Minister Konoe who has just met his end in a terrible and extraordinary way. Konoe was the victim of kiai , the ·spirit cry ' which some samurai are supposed to be able to master as a lethal weapon - but surely this is just a myth ? Since the Shogunate has ruled Japan the emperor and his famil y live as prisoners in their city, preserving the culture of a thousand years before

There is the spoiled sixteen-year-old emperor, his ambitious mother, fri volous consort and disabled cousin all bored and penned up in their opulent prison - but who has the power to kill with a scream ? Meanwhile Chamberlin Yanagisawa is not far behind plotting death and destruction while Reiko is determined to join Sano in his investigations and go where samurais are less likely to be welcome - the women ·s quarters

Most people reading this story are not familiar with 17th century Japan. and it would be all too easy to adopt a didactic style and lose the reader by skimping on plot and imparting too much information. Rowland never does this , though, and the result is a thrilling tale set in a splendidly authentic and well-realised milieu

Honorable Sano, intrepid , brave Reiko. and scheming Yanagisawa are a formidable trio to equal any in crime fiction - a samurai Holmes , Watson and Moriarty ? Nosomething more original than that. Great to see somebody breaking away from familiar settings and trying something different.

Rachel A Hyde

US: EIGHfEEN1H CENTURY

AFAR BEITER REST

Susanne Alleyn. Soho, 2000 , $25 , hb , 368 pp , ISBN l-56947-197-5

'"To-day they guillotined Danton ; and with him died the fragile dream of Clemency, and all my hopes and prayers ·

So opens Susanne Alleyn's debut novel A Far Beller Rest, described on the back cover as ' A reimagining of Charles Dickens ' classic novel A Tale of Two Cities .' n the hands of a less skilled writer, this book could have been a

disappointment or worse , yet Ms Alleyn succeeds admirably.

Told from Sydney Carton's point of view in a journal written during the weeks before his execution , the novel tells the same story as the Dickens original , but on an intensely more personal level. One by one Carton introduces the reader to the main characters as he reflects on his life's journey from Georgian England to Revolutionary Paris . This novel is engrossing right from the start. The author uses a slightly archaic form of English that is easy to understand and read, yet evocative of the turbulent period in which the story is set.

Though we only see the characters through Carton's eyes, they are nevertheless well-rounded and thoroughly captivating Of special interest to this reviewer were the brief glimpses of Charlotte Corday and her eventual victim, Jean-Paul Marat. Meeting these and other historical figures in such an informal setting was an added pleasure. Among the most appealing of the fictional characters were Carton's friend Molly, Damay's daughter Lucie-Anne and Damay's cousin , Eleonore They lived, breathed and touched the heart

As for setting, Ms Alleyn brings the period to life , especially those scenes set on the streets of Paris during the key events of the Revolution such as the attack on the Bastille and the preparations for the Festival of Federation The reader sees, hears and smells the past and is , in effect , transported back in time

I highly recommend A Far Better Rest, not only for fans of Dickens wanting to see the story told in a different way , but for anyone interested in the French Revolution and how it affected the lives of so many people . Though literary in nature , this novel appeals to the heart and soul and left this reader haunted by its wonderful characters , most notably its hero , Sydney Carton.

Teresa Edford

DEVILISH

Jo Beverley , NAL (Signet), 2000 , $6 .99, pb , 372pp , ISBN 0451199979

Known as the eminence noire of England, Bey Malloren, the Marquess of Rothgar, lives up to his moniker. Powerful at Court, mysterious , magnetic . He meets his counterpart in independence and power in Diana Westmount, the Countess of Arradale , one of the few peeresses in her own right. Swept up in life-threatening political intrigue, these two pillars of strength and resolve find love only by facing their respective vulnerabilities Set in 1762, the action centers around the never-ending tensions between England and France and danger to the young George III One of history's most colorful characters , the

Chevalier D'Eon , is in the midst of the intrigue But beyond the detailed historical backdrop is the excellent way the author uses mores of the period to move the story along One example of note , as it appears in more than one of her tales , is the strict rules governing women of the time, and how extraordinary women like Diana chafe under them, longing to reach beyond them in both their public and private lives

It's amazing to think Rothgar, a hero who has spawned an almost decade-long following among Beverley's readership since the first book in the Malloren series , has been ' only ' a secondary character in all four previous books How big a following? Readers long ago exhausted supplies of promotional buttons saying simply ' Waiting for Rothgar.' A huge expectation for an author to live up to , but Beverley does it with her usual aplomb Rothgar is at his best , finally the main player on the stage. And Diana is well-matched as his lady love

The previous books in the Malloren series , in order, are : My Lady Notorious , Tempting Fortun e, Something Wicked, and Secrets of the Night

Nina C. Davis

THE ROSE GROWER

Michelle de Kretser, Carroll & Graf, 2000 , $25 00 trade pb , (£6.99 pb from Amazon co uk) , 303 pp , ISBN 0-09-928405-7

For review, see UK section.

APALACHEE

Joyce Rockwood Hudson , University of Georgia Press , 2000 ; $27 .95 , hb , 416pp , ISBN 0-8203-2190- 7

Set in Florida and South Carolina between 1704 and 1715 , this richly-textured story follows the intertwined lives of Native American, Spanish, and British characters and is especially noteworthy for its portrayal of the little-known institution of Indian slavery in colonial America . When the novel opens , Spanish missionaries have settled in the Apalachee homeland of what is now the Florida panhandle , ravaging the native population with disease and altering its culture with Christianity . Through the person of Hinachuba Lucia, an Apalachee wise woman, the story moves to the beginnings of the South Carolina colony, and the clashes between the English settlers and enemy Native American groups.

The fact that this book is published by an academic press is a good sign right from the start Clearly a meticulous researcher, Hudson does the reader an additional service by providing notes at the end to differentiate

historical fact from her fiction . The large cast of characters is a little hard to keep track of, due more to their numbers than lack of three-dimensionality - like a large party where you don't get a chance to talk to everyone , but don't doubt that they all have full lives and histories. Hudson does not flinch from showing all aspects of slavery - bad, worse , and worst. This makes some episodes hard to read, but all the more immediate, and it's never done out of pure sensationalism

Maria G Parker

THE OVERMOUNTAIN MEN

(The Tennessee Frontier Trilogy, V.1: 1757-1777)

Cameron Judd , Cumberland House , 2000 (orig. pub . 1991) , $16 .95, trade pb , 410pp , ISBN : 1-58182-097-6

Based in Nashville , Tennessee , Cumberland House is republishing Judd's fictional history of the early days of that state in three handsome trade paperbacks Others in the series are The Border Men (1778-1783] and The Canebrake Men [ 1785-1800] , first published in mass market paperback by Bantam nearly ten years ago Chronicled in this first book are the adventures of Joshua Colter, from the time he was boy of ten , creeping into a camp of Cherokees to avenge the deaths of his parents, to grown manhood, in a land on the verge of fighting for its independence from the British

Most of this first volume also tells the story of the early settlers in Tennessee , coming across the mountains from Virginia and the Carolinas . Life was not easy for them, as the Cherokees generally were not pleased with the influx of the white intruders , who insisted on their way of life and rule of law , and then ignored both when it was to their favor and advantage There are lots of deaths in the wars and skirmishes that follow , and rape , torture and mutilation, not to mention horrible accidents in the untamed wilderness On page 244 , young Colter wonders why ' life sometimes handed out too many blows to bear.'

Judd is a natural storyteller, but his stories are often brutally dark and shuddersome, and this is no exception It's an honest version of history , however, painstakingly put together , and in the end, very much affirmative of the human spirit. Recommended, but even though it's the story of both a young frontiersman and a new country about to be born, perhaps not for younger children

Steve Lewis

NO REST FOR THE DOVE :

A Bracebridge Mystery

Margaret Miles , Bantam, 2000, $5 99 , pb, 273pp, ISBN 0553578642

No Rest for the Dove reunites Charlotte Willett and Richard Longfellow, neighbors and amateur sleuths in pre-colonial Massachusetts , in solving a murder. The main storyline centers around Gian Carlo Lahte, a musico nicknamed II Columbo, ' the Dove. ' In his native Italy , he was surgically altered as a teen so that he could sing female operatic roles Shortly after he arrives in the town of Bracebridge to visit Longfellow, a stranger is found dead on the Boston-Worcester road The identities of the victim and killer are the concern of this primary plot.

There is a subplot involving the patriot rebellion led by Sam Adams and company, with whom Longfellow is somehow affiliated This storyline is not really integral to the murder plot but exists as maybe a build up to be resolved in the fourth installment. In any event, it ends up diminishing the suspense of the murder mystery plot.

This third in the Bracebridge mystery series has an abundance of people and situations packed into its 273 pages, but that's not necessarily a good thing The key to writing a successful series , in my opinion, is to fill in pertinent history for first-time readers like me A little more background about Willett and Longfellow and less detail about minor characters would have made it easier to become involved with these two and their current mystery That, coupled with the fact that there are too many issues competing for space, leaving some scantily addressed or unresolved., leaves me unable to recommend No Rest for the Dove.

Alice Logsdon

THE FRENCH MATHEMATICIAN

Tom Petsinis , Berkley, 2000, $13 95 , trade pb , 426 pp , ISBN 0-425-17291-0 ' Mathematics is my life.'

This doesn ' t seem a very exciting declaration coming from the protagonist of a historical novel set in revolutionary France However, this fictionalized aCCOWtt of mathematician Evarist.e Galois's life ushers us directly and intimately into the mind of one whose discoveries continue to influence present-day nuclear physics and genetic engineering

Having had his early education at home under the tutelage of his literary-minded mother, fifteen-year-old Evariste Galois is sent to Paris to complete his education . A sensitive, arrogant genius , he detests the school , the teachers , and all the other students . Then he is exposed to mathematics for the first time and knows he has found that thing that so few of us ever do: his calling To

Evariste , mathematics is its own reward, a refuge of logic in a chaotic world . It is the key to unlock the secrets of the universe It is a new and superior religion. He vows he will be the first to solve the quintic , a complex equation that has confounded many great minds

There are obstacles in his path to this goal First, he must struggle to suppress his own emerging sexuality. Then , there are the schoolmates who continually goad and harass him to join their Republican groups. Less easily ignored are the grievous social inequities and turmoil surrounding him. When his father dies , an alleged suicide, Evariste at last begins to question his singular devotion to mathematics.

Evariste tells his own story , addressing himself to an imaginary biographer who shadows him throughout the book , experiencing events as he does , all in present tense While this type of narration can be off-putting, Petsinis utilizes it respectably and often with great drama He adeptly conveys to the reader information which the protagonist himself misses His prose is rich with original and evocative metaphors and similes , and his flair for verb choice gives the story a distinctively realistic feel.

Self-centered., egotistical and insolent , Evariste is difficult to like at the outset. Yet the reader soon glimpses the fragile and idealistic heart of an insecure young man possessed of remarkable mental gifts As the story unfolds , the reader comes to understand the noble soul of Evariste Galois his consuming desire to give his life to a meaningful cause and to attain immortality through his work

Recommended for readers with an interest in revolutionary France, and also those with mathematical or scientific leanings

Kelly Cannon

A TIME FOR TREASON

Anne Newton Walther, Tapestries Publishing, 2000, $24 95, hb , 45lpp , ISBN 0-9676703-0-6

After George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River, they fought the British Army using gunpowder obtained from Bennuda, a British colony. How did the patriots acquire the powder? This is the question that Ann Newton Walther seeks to answer in her first novel, A Time for Treason Countess Eugenie Devereux , under the guise of purchasing race horses , travels to Virginia at the behest of French aristocrats who seek information they can use to persuade France to join with the colonists in their fight against Great Britain. She meets many influential patriots , including Thomas Jefferson, during her stay She also makes the

acquaintance of Bridger Goodrich , whose family is forced to leave their home after they side with the English

After her contact is brutally murdered and she is forced to reveal the true purpose of her visit , Eugenie flees Virginia aboard Bridger's ship On the voyage to Bermuda they fall in love despite their political differences Colonel Henry Tucker and his family welcome Eugenie into their home Colonel Tucker and other wealthy men who inhabit the western end of the island grow increasingly concerned with the American embargo against their ships and trade. Tucker devises a treasonous plan to persuade the Americans to continue to trade with Bermuda, and Eugenie soon finds herself embroiled in it.

There are a number of problems that keep this book from being a page-turning adventure The author tells the story from too many characters ' points of view six on one page and has a tendenc)- to step out of Eugenie's viewpoint and into an omniscient one. Characters constantly mention the threat of danger from various sources , but their fear and apprehension often fail to evoke the reader ' s emotions or to come to fruition Conflicts between the hero and the heroine are too easily resolved The action scenes are compelling, but they are few and far between The single eight-page love scene is a dream sequence, and readers may find some of it distasteful One historical error alludes to Edward Teach (Blackbeard) being responsible for the loss of four ships The infamous pirate lost his head in 1718 , 57 years before A Tim e for Treason takes place Those in search of little-known stories of the American Revolution or facts about 18th-century life in Bermuda, though, may enjoy the story.

Cindy Vallar

US:· NINETEENTH CENTURY

THE BLAZING TREE

Mary Jo Adamson, Signet, 2000 , $5.99. pb , 262pp, ISBN 0-451-20034-9 Adamson , whose previous mysteries have been set in present day Puerto Rico , begins a new series with this book. Set in 19th century New England , this is the first adventure of Boston police reporter Michael Merrick. At one time a serious opium-eater, Merrick has been rehabilitated and provided his previous position by an unknown benefactor. His new assignment , given him personally by the newspaper's owner, Jaspar Quincey, is to find out who's responsible for setting a number of fires near and around Hancock, a Shaker village in western Massachusetts. One of

these fires , not accidental , has caused a fatality perhaps not intended , but a death all the same

~.1asquerading as u nev; mew.her, ~.1errick joins the community of Shakers, and his investigation begins and L'1e mystery comes to a near dead stop , or at least it proceeds in only fits and starts. There's an abundance of background detail here to satisfy most history buffs , but the sheer nu.'l1ber of characters and the multiple subplots (including a possibly one-sided romantic interest) tend to detract from the story line, not add to it.

Adamson has very good intentions , but in spite of a semi-uplifting ending the mystery is solved, if net a!! of Michael's problems she can't quite get the tale out of second gear As an aside to more devoted detective fiction fans , the resemblance of the Quincey-Merrick detective team to Nero Wolfe and his second-in-command, Archie Goodwin , 1s probably quite intentional.

Steve Lewis

IN THE NAME OF SALOME

Julia Alvarez , Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill , 2000 , $23 .95, hb , 368pp , ISBN ! -565 12-276 -3

Alvarez alternates between the story of Salome Urena, a poet in the politically turbulent Dominican Republic of the nineteenth century and that of her daughter Camilla, a professor of Spanish at Vassar College. Although frail and sic!dy, with a less than faithful husband, Salome is a compelling character whose poetry rnsp:res her countrymen Unfortunately, Camilla is destined to live in her mother's shadow as well as be eclipsed by her famous father and brothers The reader is left to decide if she finds her own voice

Not only does the story alternate between the two narratives of mother and daughter , but Canli!la's narrative is not in chronological order This technique serves to explain more about Camilla than might otherwise be revealed, but, in the end, she is not as absorbing a character as Salome, and I was not as engrossed when the narrative switched to her story

Alvarez does not fill in a great deal of back story regarding the upheaval in the Dominican Republic , but instead uses the act of a woman writing revolutionary poetry (and not just politically revolutionary) to render the mood of the time The setting moves between the Dominican Republic , Cuba , upstate New York , and chilly Minnesota, and Alvarez is expert at evoking the atmosphere of each place. 1n the United States locales, Camilla and her family feel displaced , and the tone takes a palpable shift when the setting returns

to Latin America despite the uneasmess caused by the revolutions.

In her author's note , Alvarez reveals that Salome and Camilla are re::! people t.liat she has turned into fictional characters. A mark of Alvarez's talent might be that she has sparked my interest in investigating the real Salome. Recorrunended.

Ellen Keith

THE MARPLOT MARRIAGE

Beth Andrews, Regency Press, 1999 , $19.95, hb , 195 pp , ISBN 1-929085-02-8 Mischievous , fon-lm ing Phoebe Bridgerton and her stuffy cousin-in-law, Charles Hargood, are throv,n into matrimony bec::use of the inconvenient but extremely entertaining circwnstance of being discovered in IY-.,d together by a party of guests These include Phoebe's best friend, Ch::rles 's fiancee , his mother, and his future mother-in-law. It seems Charles's mot'1er made a mistake in room assignments. Charles and Phoebe proclaim their disinterest in each other while fighting their growing attraction. Phoebe ' s antagonism towards Charles soon takes a new direction as Clarissa, Lady Stainford, decides to claim Phoebe s bridegroom. Suddenly, Charles is beginning to look a lot less stuffy . Beth Andrews has crafted a shockingly delightful romp in the first two chapters of this novel. Although the following chapters pale in comparison, this is still an enjoyable Regency romance. Both Phoebe and Charles are likable characters . Their vulnerability is charmingly expressed. The a.-:t::gonists in this story are also charming in their own wicked ways, adding more than a touch of humor to the story , despite their intended malice.

Nan Curnutt

THE BLACK FLOWER: A Novel of the Civil War

Howard Bahr, Picador USA, 2000 (1998 hb) , $13 , trade pb , 267pp , ISBN 0-312-26507-7

In November 1864 , General John Bell Hood ordered the army of Tennessee to perform a frontal assault against a secure Union defensive position outside the town of Franklin. Howard Bahr ' s novel begins the morning before the battle ::nd ends with its aftermath. It tells the story of Bushrod T Carter, a young Confederate foot soldier seasoned by almost three years of fighting. Bushrod a."ld his two friends deal with the internal struggle of men who wish to live, but realize they are likely to die Wounded in battle, Bushrod is removed to a nearby farmhouse being used as a tempor::ry hospital. There Bushrod meets Anna , a relative of the family that owns the farm She tends his

wounds and follows him in his search for his comrades.

The Black Flower is not a love story , but the feelings that develop between Bushrod and Anna provide a vivid contrast to the overwhelming carnage that surrounds them It is meticulously accurate, with historical detail woven into every page. Superbly researched , the scope of description ranges from the infamous Battle of Franklin to a foot soldier ' s accoutrements The emotions of those involved in t.1ie brutal conflict are artfully conveyed Evocative and powerful , the horrors of war are shown throug.'1 the eyes of several characters. Character development is rich and detailed, even for those tangential to the story

The author has a fine literary style that manages to fall short of being overwritten. This is an impressive first novel which is highly recommended .

Robert B. Gold

THE YEAR OF JUBILO

Ho'.\ard Bahr, Henry Holt, 2000, $25 .00, hb , 376 pp ., ISBN 0-8050-5972-5

Howard Bahr's Civil War fiction has already earned praise from critics , casual readers and the ever-growing number of 1\.mericans -.vho remain consumed by the period His Black F7.ower, published in hardback in 1998 , treated the Confederate disaster at the 1864 Battle of Franklin through the e-1es of his carefully crafted fictional participants The Year of Jubilo follows the fortunes of a pre-war teacher named Gawain Harper who returns to his home of Cumberland, Mississippi , to resume civilian life after reluctant service as a Confederate private Harper finds Cumberland .as changed by war as he, and while trying to cope with fais new existence he also finds himself slowly , but inexorably, drawn into the deadly conflict between Union occupation forces and Confederates who refuse to accept defe::t and submission. To his horror, the killing he had hoped was finally over has come back into his Life.

Harper is a sensitive and decent man anxious to solidify his relationship with his sweetheart Morgan Rhea while oyercom.ing the hostility of her powerful father. Bahr ' s portray::! of H::rper is so frnely dra;m th::t the reader identifies with this earnest and sad young man within a very few pages The townspeople, Union troops , and Confederate diehards also come alive throug.11 Bahr 's craftsmanship His knowledge of the Mississippi of 1865 and the powerful social and emotional forces driving a conquered people and their nor.hem victors into conflict enables readers to seamlessly transport themselves to this unsettled time

Anyone wishing to examine the crushing impact of defeat and the harsh realities faced by soldiers returning to a society utterly transformed by war should take the time to follow Gawain Harper as he looks for love and peace of mind in postwar Mississippi An outstanding piece of work, blessed by an artist's touch with the English language John R. Vallely

PEERLESS THEODOSIA

Rebecca Baldwin, Regency Press, 2000 , $19 .95 , hb , 180 pp , ISBN 1-929085-12-5 Britain and the United States are at war An overzealous British lieutenant has stopped a ship flying under a neutral flag and taken into custody two young Americans who were sailing home to New York. They are the son and daughter of an American senator who is in Ghent negotiating a peace treaty with Britain. One of the British negotiators , a good friend of the senator , asks his wife to harbor the siblings as a way to soften the blow that they are prisoners of war The daughter is the Peerless Theodosia of the title

I found this Regency to be delightful. The plot was unusual, the characters were well drawn, if a bit formulaic, and not absolutely everything turned out exactly as I expected This is one of Regency Press ' s Reprise books-a line that is returning previously published books to print. Peerless Theodosia first saw print in 1980 , and certainly deserves being brought to the attention of new readers Rebecca Baldwin is Helen Chappell , author of the Sam and Hollis mysteries

Tnidi Jacobson

JANE AND THE GENIUS OF THE PLACE

Stephanie Barron , Bantam, 2000, $5 99, pb, 400pp , ISBN : 0-553-57839-1

In August of 1805, sisters Jane and Cassandra Austen leave Bath to travel to their brother Edward's estate in Kent for the Canterbury races All the rich and famous attend , making the area a perfect locale for parties, scandal, and gossip The most daring of them all is the figure in scarlet, Francoise, the French spouse of a banker, Valentin Grey

However, the gossip about Mrs. Grey turns morbid when she is murdered. Most of the aristocracy assumes that either one of her lovers or her spouse killed her. Jane disagrees that this is a simple murder of passion

The fourth novel in the Jane Austen Mysteries continues with the same freshness and insight into the early nineteenth century as its predecessors Jane remains interesting, and the support characters add authenticity . However, what makes Stephanie Barron ' s novel and for that matter the entire series , so much fun to read are the details of the era with

Jane ' s life interwoven into it making for a superb historical mystery

Tracie Clark

GRANGE HOUSE

Sarah Blake, Picador USA , 2000, $24 , hb , 376pp , ISBN 0-312-24544-0

Grange House is an elegant, charming recreation of a late Victorian gothic novel , complete with ghostly appearances , long-lost family secrets, and a narrative style that calls to mind the works of Henry James or Wilkie Collins Our seventeen-year-old heroine , Maisie Thomas , is the picture of innocence as the novel begins , and though she yearns for adventure and romance , even she cannot imagine where her curiosity will lead her

Daughter of a well-to-do New York family , Maisie and her devoted Mama and Papa spend each summer at Grange House, a mansion set along the Maine coast. Aside from the household staff, their chosen lodging has one permanent resident, the ailing, elderly Miss Grange . A local authoress of repute , Miss Grange is assumed by the family to be a poor relation of the mansion ' s former owners Taking Maisie under her wing, she recounts fantastic stories to the young girl of the Granges' early history. However , neither Miss Grange nor her stories are quite what they seem to be It's up to Maisie to sort through the real and the fictional, and to sill through details hidden within twenty years ' worth of stories , letters , and diaries - before the tragedies of Grange House begin to repeat themselves once more Maisie finds the romance she's been seeking as well , but must ultimately decide between two men : will it be her father's young business partner, Jonathan Lanman, or charming Bart Hunnowell?

Sarah Blake ' s wonderfully chosen language brings us back in time to the ever subtle, precise, yet melodramatic world of high society at the tum of the last century, in which women who seem almost to faint at the slightest disturbance of equilibrium can still be strong enough to keep secrets which could hold a family together. At times the ornate description tends to interfere with the heightening suspense Those who can stand fast against the urge to race through to the very end, however, have an exciting reading experience in store .

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

GRANT SPEAKS

Ev Ehrlich , Warner Books, 2000 , $25 95 , hb , 404 pp , ISBN 0-446-52387-9

Ev Ehrlich ' s career to date has spanned writing, US government service , consulting/ advisory work with major corporations, and radio assignments on the popular American radio show ' NPR Morning Edition .' Judging

from this latest novel , I would urge him to drop the other pursuits and concentrate on writing the reading public would be in his debt. Grant Speaks is a ' memoir' by Ulysses S Grant, the brilliant US Civil War officer and dreadful president whose life experiences ran the gamut from awlnvard West Point cadet, to Mexican War hero and drunken peacetime officer , to failed businessman , to victor over the redoubtable Robert E. Lee, to service as chief executive of the most scandal-ridden presidency in American history , to a cancer victim pressed to complete his memoirs to save his famil y from pO\ erty Not your average life, but Grant was far from your average man

Ehrlich has the dying Grant write his autobiography to set the record straight on his uncertain path to fame. In the least credible part of the book, the young ·useless' switches places with a boyhood rival so as to attend West Point and escape his unexceptional life. The military academy transforms the young man and brings him into contact with other cadets who will shortly provide the United States and the Confederate States with their leading military officers . Grant's opinions of his peers (the foul-mouthed Sherman, the quirky and unstable young 'Stonewall' Jackson, and the ' little mama·s boy ', Robert E Lee) and his consistently irreverent treatment of other legendary political and military Civil War personalities will doubtless upset many a reader more comfortable with conventional interpretations. Others will find this style refreshing as well as on target. Ehrlich's historical analyses and comments speak of hours spent with research materials and a finely honed critical attitude towards packaged accounts and sacred cows

While the reader may be put off by the fabricated identity S\\~tch with the ' real' Grant, the wit and creativity of Ehrlich ' s storytelling will make the reader stay the course An outstanding novel for anyone interested in the American Civil War and the life and times of Ulysses Grant. Fans of Robert E Lee should exercise caution!

John R Vallely

GRAVEYARD DUST

Barbara Hambly, Bantam, 2000 , $5 99 , pb , 496pp , ISBN : 0-553-57528-7

In 1834 New Orleans , just prior to his death , Isaak Jurnon accuses his spouse Celie of poisoning him At least that is the conclusion of the local law enforcement officials Besides arresting Celie, the police apprehend Benjamin January's sister Olympe as an accomplice for selling the poison

Benjamin , a free man of color, knows his sibling would never do such an act , but as we find out , she practices good voodoo He also

realizes that his sister has no chance of a fair trial by her peers because New Orleans is a city deeply divided along racial lines l3enjarr..in begins his o\.vn inquiries into the murder of Isaak even after someone tries to ;varn him off by sprinkling 'graveyurd dusC iI1 his bed When it comes to his sister Olympe, nothing will stand in Denjanllil's way of trying to free her.

Barbara Hambly's superb historical mystery series, is an excellent who-done-it that will bring further accolades to this talented writer. Two helpful resources are included at the beginning of Graveyard Dust: a terminology of voodoo , and a genealogy of the Jumon famil y who figure prominently in the mystery. The storyline is extremely complex as it wanders to its conclusion The characters are warm and represent various aspects of early nineteenth century New Orleans . This aspect of the novel alone makes Gravey ard Du s t a winner: one of the top historical mysteries of the year

Traci e Clark

SOLD DOWN THE RIVER

Barbara Hambly , Bantam, 2000 , $23 95 , hb , 317pp , ISBN 0-553-10257-5

Big, black, and smart, Ben January signs on as private detective for the man who once owned him and his mother He's been to Paris and educated as a doctor and musician , but he now risks his freedom to pose as a cane-hand, to keep slave-holder Simon Fourchet from being murdered

January acts as the purported servant of his dissolute friend Hannibal Sefton . His sidekick Lt. Shaw of the New Orleans City Guard keeps tabs on January via different colored kerchiefs tied on an oak, a signal that boatmen on the Mississippi report to Shaw daily

Butler Gilles succumbed when he drank poisoned brandy intended for Fourchet. Mill boss , Reuben was crushed by falling machinery when someone spooked the mules The fierce oppression of the master and overseer during roulaison , the sugar harvest, causes every slave to harbor murderous thoughts His harsh demands , brutal punishment, and lecherous ex.l)loitation of sweethearts and daughters , leads to the butchery of overseer Thierry Everyone's got a motive

Author, Barbara Hambly recreates New Orleans with authentic period detail that spices a gripping narrative Her meticulous research provides a rich atmosphere of music , food and customs. Her characters breathe \.vith strengths and foibles The writing has a dense texture that immerses the reader in 1834 Louisiana

Not only is this book a pleasure to read, but I'll look for tJ1c ;vhole Benjarnin J~u1uary series. Her poetic turn of phrase lulls the reader, while the intricate plotting challenges one's attention and participation to keep tabs on the suspects . Her previous suspense classic, Graveyard Dust, was a bestseller. Sold Down the Rive r is a keeper.

Marcia K. Matthews

THE GATES OF THE ALAMO

Stephen IIa..-igan., Knopf, 2000 , $25 , hb, 58lpp, ISBN 0-679-44717-2

The single most retold incident of the American West, studied and pored over, could easily be that of General Custer's misadventures at Little Big Hom. If it is, the most obvious runner-up is that of the fall of the Alamo Texans were always larger than life , even while the land belonged to Mexico , and names like Jim Bowie, William Travis and Davy Crockett are still ones every schoolboy knows today (Travis never had a TV show , though, even though he was in command, and he's probably the least known ofthe three .)

It's the stuff of legends , in other words , the turning point in the fate of Texas . A lot of mythology has been built up over the final days of the men at the Alamo , much of it more fanc y than fact. Harrigan takes the facts , and he fleshes them out with a saga that simply sings with elegance and authenticity He views the confrontation from both sides, the Mexicans conscripted to fight under the ruthless Santa Ana's command, and the rebellious Texians (as they called themselves then)

Fictitious are Mary Mott , a widowed innkeeper in a small town south of San Antonio , her 18-year-old son Terrell, and a botanist named Edmund McGowan , whose life is wrapped up in cataloguing the flora of the Texas countryside. Under ordinary circumstances, their lives would have been impacted only slightly by the events at the Alamo, but fate often has ingenious (and sometimes unfathomable) ways of mixing ordinary folk with the people who made history , and taking them along similar paths , and paths that cross

If you are interested in the early days of the American frontier , this is a book not to be missed. It's of necessity a gory tale , and Harrigan takes an unflinching view of the battlefield and war On a personal level rather than the significance of events in the historical record when death comes to someone before his time , it's a matter of Jost opportunity and potential, and that's what Harrigan's incidental message is, intentionally or not and I cannot believe that it is not.

So - it's a tremendously sad stOI)' - not surprisingly, given the foregone conclusion -

but one of triumphs as well - and if I may repeat myself, it's also one not to be missed . Steve Lewis

TEXAS GLORY

Lorraine Heath, Signet , 2000, $6 50, pb , 384pp, ISBN: 0-451-40753-9

Dallas Leigh's dream is beginning to come true A town called Leighton is being built on his land There are stores opening, they've hired a sheriff, and i.n a few months , the train will come through . All is just what Dallas has hoped for , except that ve,y few women have come to Leighton to live. Dallas is now thirty-six, and his desire for a son has become an obsession And if that was not all , Dallas is also having problems with his neighbors , the McQueens They are cutting fences and killing cattle in their dispute over land and water rights. When Dallas finds out that Angus McQueen has a daughter , he offers to trade land and water rights to the McQueens if Angus will give him Cordelia McQueen as his wife

Angus McQueen considers his daughter to be his property, so he ' gi ves ' her to Dallas . Cordelia McQueen has spent most of her young life nursing her mother , who was paralyzed when Angus McQueen threw her down the stairs Cordelia has not been allowed to ride a horse , plant a garden or even go outside by herself. ' Women belong in the house taking care of their menfolk, ' according to Angus McQueen Cordelia is scared to death of Dallas Leigh and bitterl y resentful toward her father and brothers for just giving her away . The first half of the book details how Cordelia and Dallas become acquaintances , then friends and finally lovers Dallas and Cordelia move toward each other in a slow and hesitant way . This is where Lorraine Heath has a special gift for writing ; there is no cliched dialogue . Texas Glory is second in a three-book series , following Texa s Destiny. If the next book, Texas Splendor , is as good as the preview chapter indicates , these three books will be my all-time favorite romantic sagas

Tracie Clark

ON SECRET SERVICE

John Jakes, Dutton (Penguin Putnam) , 2000 , $25 95 , hb , 448pp , ISBN 0-525-94544-X

John Jakes tackles a difficult subject: the origin of the secret service in the United States during the Civil War . The omniscient narrator has a spare style : past tense , third person, devoted to characterization and action, not to description We don't feel immersed in the time period, but like we're watching a movie at middle distance, a ' medium shot. '

The novel is plot-driven in that we know that Abraham Lincoln will be assassinated. This unchangeable fact limits how effective a spy Lon Price can be His efforts fall short He makes mistakes Far from the slick James Bond, he's working at a time when substitution codes were state of the art Like the newspaper ciphers of today , they can be cracked with a frequency table of the English alphabet.

Jakes has set himself a high level of difficulty in choosing a true-life event to lead up to, a climax known in advance The four point-of-view characters engage us with their intersecting lives : Lon Price , the detective , loves Margaret Miller, Rebel spy , whose friend Hanna Siegel loves Confederate Major Fred Dasher So many possibilities, so many missed opportunities The author's restraint and realism give his characters plenty of conflicts but little satisfaction.

The timespan from January 1861 to April 1865 saw the bloodiest war ever on US soil , and Jakes sets his scenes in the middle of the action, moving from Washington to Richmond to Savannah to New York. The author describes events in logical narrative with straightforward sentences . In a few paragraphs he achieves lyrical portraits , bringing to life President Lincoln in a casual encounter, and Rose Greenhow and Jefferson Davis , people I've always been curious about.

All four protagonists work as spies : Lon, in a progression from Pinkerton detective to secret agent ; Margaret, as secess1omst sympathizer drawn in by her notorious friend Rose ; Hanna , who disguises herself as a soldier to see battle ; and Fred, who works with the Southern conspirators, unaware they are plotting Lincoln's assassination .

The theme is maintaining honor in war, while pursuing relationships that cause conflicting loyalties. In exploring this theme, Jakes maps the inner soul of America

Marcia K. Matthews

POTENT PLEASURES

Eloisa James , Island Books (Dell) , May 2000 , $6 50 , pb, 455 pp ., ISBN 0-440-23456-5

MIDNIGHT PLEASURES

Eloisa James, Delacorte, August 2000 , $19 95 , hb , 360 pp ., ISBN 0-385-33361-7 Eloisa James has written two enjoyable Regency-era historical romances that are linked by characters and plot elements-they are best read in the order published to truly appreciate some of the situations that develop in the second book. In Potent Pleasures we meet Charlotte Daicheston, much more interested in painting than in her coming out ball. Shortly before her debut , she attends a masquerade ball where she behaves most

improperly with a masked stranger whom she believes to be a footman. But of course he is not ; he is an earl, and has no memory of Charlotte when they next meet three years later Both Charlotte and her mother are delightful characters. Charlotte ' s good friend Sophie, who is noted for being beautiful and a rather fast flirt , rather than for her true accomplishments as a linguist , reappears as the heroine of Midnight Pleasures. Her heart belongs to one man , while she is engaged to marry another . I hate to delve further into the plots , for fear of spoilers (don ' t read the book jacket/cover blurbs!) .

Both books share an annoying trait: misunderstandings between hero and heroine come fast and furious. As soon as one is resolved , another seems to pop up. One or two such mechanisms per book would be fine , but their continued recurrences became irritating and led me to wonder how intelligent these characters truly were Both books would be improved by removing some of these misunderstandings , making them somewhat shorter and tighter in the process

Trndi

Jacob son

MURDER AT MANASSAS: A Harrison Raines Civil War Mystery

Michael Kilian, Berkley Prime Crime, 2000 , $21.95 , hb , 306 pp , ISBN 0-425-17233-3

The author, a longtime Washington correspondent for the Chicago Tribune , puts his passion for American history and his impressive knowledge of Washington's social and political past to use in his opening volume of a series featuring Harrison Greenville Raines

Raines is an itinerant Virginia-born horse trader and gambler caught in the capital city as the nation is torn apart by rebellion Anti-slavery and pro-Union in outlook, Raines wants nothing more than to remain neutral in a conflict he fears will destroy the world he knows His unreturned love for an actress leads him to the Battle of Bull Run and an encounter with murder as the Union Army dissolves in chaotic retreat.

The reader accompanies Raines on journeys to Confederate Virginia , the brothels and prisons of wartime Washington, Federal military camps , and into the Lincoln White House . Along the way, Civil War personalities as diverse as Abraham Lincoln , the detective Alan Pinkerton, the elusive John Wilkes Booth, the Confederate agent Belle Boyd, and a host of lesser characters assist and obstruct the Virginian in his dogged pursuit of justice for a dead Union officer

Historical novelists face a definite challenge in both telling an engaging story while simultaneously conveying a convincing 'feel ' for the time frame and the people who

inhabit it. The detective writer must also craft an intricate crime tale Not an easy task. Kilian by and large succeeds on all three levels While some may consider the author has gone overboard in exposing the reader to an overly long list of the well-known and famous in the Washington of 1861 , he deserves praise for illustrating the complexities of life in a time of turmoil and war . An enjoyable and entertaining beginning to Mr Raines' career in Civil War America

John R. Vallely

OJERUSALEM

Laurie R. King, Bantam Books , 1999 (pub 2000) , $23 95 hb , ($6 50 pb) , 367pp , ISBN 0553110934

In Beekeeper 's Apprentice , the first book in this series , a short paragraph covers the Palestine interlude with a promise from the author to further expand on this adventure. This time Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes disguise themselves as Arabs , Mary playing the part of an Arab boy. The time is 1919 , the end of the first World War, and the Middle East is in chaos

Holmes and Russell are on the trail of a particularly vicious killer who will stop at nothing to see the British peace plan fail. Their journey takes them ultimatel y to Jerusalem but not without perilous adventures along the way.

Laurie King has painted a lush portrait of this troubled area and its historical background at the end of the war Her attention to detail is meticulous Whether she has her characters dining with Bedouins , having tea with General Allenb)· or floating in the Dead Sea, the reader is right there. The sense of place is so real, the reader can feel the sting of the sandstorm, feel the sun ' s scorching rays , shiver in the chill of the desert night and thrill to the sight of the golden city of Jerusalem. As a mystery and as part of the Holmes/Russell series , it might leave something to be desired , but as a historical novel it truly shines

Lorraine Gelly

IN THE FALL

Jeffrey Lent, Atlantic Monthly Press , 2000 , $25, hb , 542pp, ISBN 0871137658

In this masterfully written debut novel , Jeffrey Lent traces the story of three generations as they struggle to overcome the shadows of the past.

The story begins at the end of the Civil War when wounded Union soldier Norman Pelham is nursed back to health by a runaway slave girl named Leah. Leah is running from trouble She explains to Norman that her white half brother tried to molest her. In her struggle to get away , she mortally wounded him, and

another slave helped her to escape Leah and Norman fall in love and marry, despite their racial differences . They return to the Vermont hills to farm the land where Norman grew up. Theirs is an enduring love. Lent says of Pelham , ' He was not simple in love but ferocious with it. ' This is obvious in the way he protects Leah from the scorn of his neighbors and family Her love for him is just as fierce Nonnan and Leah have two tla!.!g.~!.ers and one son Life for these children is not easy: they suffer misunderstanding and rejection because of prejudice .

Leah ·s guilt over the past and her desire to find her mother finally drive her to make a trip do-wn South to find the threads of her past. When she comes back , she is a defeated woman She will allow no one in the family to know what she learned , but it changes the course of their history through three generations

Each generation of the Pelham family has its own story to tell Each person is distinct in his or her own way , yet all are bound together through more than just blood. They are emotionally bound to Leah and the mysterious events that shook the core of her being.

Lent·s characters are richly drawn and passionate. The author ' s descriptive technique is such that even simple events have meaning His stream of consciousness narrative is provocative, yet in places it becomes difficult to follow For instance , one paragraph begins : ·Now legs dangling above the sawpit, already in the shade of the spruce the winter evening spreading like inkstain but him with the sun on his face '

Although the prose style is a bit choppy , the reader feels Norman ' s satisfaction with the things that surround him. Not all Pelhams feel this satisfactior, Jamie Pelham, Norman and Leah ' s son , says, 'Mostly people are cruel , given the chance . ' In this novel , it is the cruel who enjoy smashing the idyllic existence of innocence Passion plays against passion , and almost always the passion of hatred destroys the passion oflove

Nan Curnutt

FOR CALIFORNIA'S GOLD

JoAnn Levy , University Press of Colorado, 2000 , $24 95 , hb , 266pp , ISBN 0870815660

In April 1849 , bitten by the gold bug and feeling that he has 'never chosen or decided anything ' for himself, Caleb Daniels dreams of going west to prospect for the golden nuggets rumored to be as easily picked up as acorns under a tree His wife Sarah , content with Life in Illinois , must choose whether to stay behind and gamble on his eventual return , or give up everything familiar and risk her children's well-being in order to hang onto her

marriage . Knowing no other life , she does what she sees as her duty and follows her husband.

The Daniels promise that they will stay two years , then return to the red brick house with the pink rosebushes Sarah cherishes in her memory They will return rich, able to send their children to the best schools. They join together with others in St. Louis. the jumping off place for the westward migration At one point , cresting a rise , Sarah and some other women look back to see a river of people , conveyances and animals , prompting the observation , ' I wonder that anyone has been left behind .'

Along the trail they face daily challenges of strength, sanity and spirituality Each new vista presents its own set of obstacles . Relationships are tested Friendships are made and lost in the blink of an eye Traditional male/fomale role.s break down and realign Death must be faced at eve,y step Life , it is learned, is arbitrary. Many lose themselves in regret and grief. And when the worst happens , they must all face answering the question , ' Who is to blame? ' But that's just the journey What will California ' s gold fields really yield for them? For Sarah, the journey west presents her with a turning point. She discovers that ' We not only can do what we have to do , we can do what we decide to do.'

For California's Gold is ultimately the story of everyone who took part in the ·westering· of America . It is the stmy of the loss of innocence and the sacrifices made to attain a vision It is about the changing roles for women occasioned by the westward movement. It is about rebirth in a new land and overcoming the fears left over from the old one . JoAnn Levy joins the roster of distinguished women authors in the Women's West Series with this absorbing , multi-layered novel, and presents a historically accurate account of the female forty-niner's experience I highly recommend this novel.

Alice Logsdon

HENRY PLUMMER: A NOVEL

Frank Bird Linderman, University of Nebraska Press , 2000 , $16 95 , trade pb , 221 pp , ISBN 0803279892

Frank Bird Linderman was a best selling author at the tum of the last century However, in the 1920s , publishers declined to publish this book They felt that in trying to combine the reality of Plurnmer's life with fiction , Linderman had produced an uncharacteristically weak book For the current reader, though, who wants a real and I do mean real slice of life as it was lived in the mining towns of the West , this book will prove a fascinating read .

Plummer was a handsome but totall y immoral man . He inspired enough confidence in a community to be made sheriff, while at the same time secretly leading a notorious gang of thieves He was , until he met his wife , a cad concerning women One of the saddest portrayals in the book is that of Catherine, the young woman who ·passes' as his wife and is left unceremoniously, and without regret , by Plummer when he flees the vigilantes

Linderman has incorporated as much authentic action and dialog concerning Plummer's career as he was able In doing so he has written a rather chilling tale about the rigors of life in the Old West. While the workings of the outlaw gang were horrible , the vigilantes' activities were so swift and comprehensive that I could not help but wonder how many innocent folk might have died as a result. This book, which effectively combines history and fiction , will appeal to readers who want to know the truth about the West as remembered by those who lived it.

Kathleen Sullivan

TWO MOONS

Thomas Mallon , Pantheon , 2000 , $24 (£13 73 from Amazon.co uk) , hb, 307pp , ISBN 0-375-40025-7

By 1877 the Civil War has been over for twelve years , but its legacy remains Cynthia May, the new human ' computer ' for the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC , has spent nearly half her life in its shadow, mostly with devastating consequences After her husband ' s death in battle and those of her mother and only child not long afterward, Cynthia at thirty-five is weary of her unfulfilled life and finally ready to make some changes

Her route to re-joining the civilized world takes two paths The first is through Hugh Allison , an astronomer eight years her junior whom Cynthia sees as both her personal and professional savior. Because Hugh was too young to have been a soldier, he and Cynthia are too far apart for perfect understanding to spring up between them Still , they are kindred spirits , both loners who choose their own paths and silently nurture their O\\n ambitions While Cynthia will settle for a mere home and family , Hugh has larger plans : he wishes to immortalize himself by broadcasting his image to the heavens

Add to this mix Madame Costello, a kindly but nosy astrologer who serves as Cynthia ' s guide Th.rough her, Cynthia encounters Senator Roscoe Conkling, who has his own plans for a political future as well as for the beautiful widow While the Litle ' Two Moons' easily refers to the newly-discovered satellites of Mars , it applies equally to Hugh Allison and Roscoe Conkling, two men who

revolve around Cynthia, affecting her decisions and actions.

If the romance between Hugh and Cynthia is less than satisfying, despite the astronomical backdrop, both the setting and the characters of Two Moons are perfectly realized. Senator Conkling, a historical character, leaps from the page with his larger-than-life personality. Cynthia and Hugh , likewise , are sympathetic - if not always likable - individuals, whose motivations are understandable in the context in which they live

The language used throughout is eloquent yet somber, with the 'miasmic vapors' of the polluted waters below the Observatory overshadowing all

Those who enjoy literary historical fiction will no doubt enjoy this novel. The author's language and style are its highlights , but the storyline stayed fresh in my mind long after rd finished.

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

WOODEN FISH SONGS

Ruthanne Lum McCunn, Beacon Press , 2000 (orig pub 1995), $14 00, pb, 384 pp, ISBN 0-8070-6229-4

' It seemed to me the hollow bok-bok-bok of mallet on fish echoed the emptiness of Oi Ling ' s heart .' These are words from Sum Jui , mother of horticultural genius Lue Gim Gong and one of three narrators of this praiseworthy novel. She refers to the beating of the wooden fish which accompanies the laments that Chinese women sing for their men folk in America Lue Gim Gong was one such man. Arriving in Massachusetts at the age often, he works in a factory to support his family at home, but is soon singled out by Fanny Burlingame, who teaches him English, converts him to Christianity, and encourages him to develop his gift for raising plants. Fanny and Lue Gim Gong eventually relocate to Florida, where he successfully designs frost-hardy citrus fruits, the work for which he is remembered. It is also here that he meets Sheba, descendant of African slaves She and her husband Jim become his only true friends. For the tragedy of Lue Gim Gong's life is that Fanny ' s people refuse to forget he is not of their race, while his family and fellow immigrants believe him irredeemably corrupted by 'foreign ghosts .' Lue himself is depicted as never wholly comfortable in either China or America

By telling his story in blocks by Sheba, Fanny and Swn Jui. Ruthanne Lwn McCunn has created three distinct voices and perspectives Her portrayal of nineteenthcentury China is particularly absorbing. I could see the orange trees upon the hill and feel the tensions in the village of Lung On

Racial prejudice looms large in this novel, as does the question: Can people of variant ethnic backgrounds ever live in peace?"

Sheba concludes it just might be possible 'Lue ain ' t never quit looking for a way round what is. In that tangle is a rosebush what got seventeen kind of roses in seven colors, all from a single root. The faces (of ' younguns' that visit) turned up at us for stories is like the roses on that bush they is a mess of colors . Looking at them, a new dream come to me : a dream of better .·

Claire Morris Bernard

MUST THE MAIDEN DIE: A Seneca Falls

Historical Mystery

Miriam Grace Monfredo, Berkley, 1999 (pb 2000) , $21.95 ($6.99 pb) , hb, 366 pp , ISBN 0-425-16699-6

Glynis Tryon, the librarian of Seneca Falls, New York, participates in the festivities of her niece ' s wedding while solving a prominent businessman's murder soon after war erupts between the North and South. Monfredo seamlessly interweaves treason, hot air balloons , sexual abuse, utopian society, and women's suffrage into this tale of violent death and shameful secrets.

While I experienced the rare pleasure of not guessing the murderer's identity , I skipped over the detailed descriptions of Victorian homes and society Since I hadn't read previous titles in this series , allusions to relationships between some characters left me with unanswered questions

Although Seneca Falls was the center of women's suffrage , I had trouble believing that so many women were quite so liberated. The only females who retained the traditional roles of wife and mother lacked backbone and were browbeaten.

Those who have read the other Seneca Falls mysteries should enjoy this one Those who haven ' t might first want to peruse the earlier ones to get a better feel for the characters

Cindy Vallar

GAP CREEK

Robert Morgan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill , 1999 , $22.95 , 1999, 324pp

ISBN l-56512-296-8

' A story of a marriage from the Poet Laureate of Appalachia,' the publisher tells us, along with the - probably economically more salient - fact that this work was chosen for Oprah's book club. That would make it easy to dismiss for us intellectuals who don't stoop to reading such fodder for the masses, but in fact, there is much to admire about it. Setting and voice are particularly remarkable.

The tum-of-the-20th-century rural mountain setting is so integral and integrated to the story that it becomes a character of

stature equal to the narrator, the young, newly-married Julie Richards. The seeming effortlessness with which Morgan masters her speech, and the thoughts that that speech expresses, are more than admirable. The plotdaily travails of the impoverished young couple , including some lengthy wrenching scenes of physical pain - doesn't break any new ground for this subgenre , but it's well-written enough to keep at least some readers engaged It's rather long on tragedy to succeed in making the reader feel as uplifted as the author clearly intends

Maria G. Parker

IN THE ARMS OF THE SKY

Earl Murray, Forge, Sept 1998 (pb 2000) , $22 95 ($6 .99 pb), hb , 301 pp, ISBN 0-312-86123-0

Based on a true story, In The Arms of The S!,_y fictionalizes a brief period in the life of a world-traveling Englishwoman, Isabella Lucy Bird. A forty-ish spinster, Miss Bird is in the process of crossing the American continent after completing a tour in the South Seas Before returning to her invalid sister in London, she is determined to visit Estes Park in the Colorado Rocl-y Mountains, described to her by a friend as having the most spectacular scenery in the world.

There , she meets 'Rocl-y Mountain Jim,· Indian fighter and gunman, a mountain man in the purest form , right down to the scar on his face , the result of a bear attack. Despite his animal-skin attire , Isabella recognizes Jim Nugent as a gentleman. He agrees to guide her to the top of Longs Peak , another goal for the intrepid Englishwoman Thus, they are plunged into each other's company.

Punctuated with quotes from Miss Bird"s book, A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, the story charts the development of the love affair between these disparate characters during Isabella's four-month stay Complications include Isabella's loyalty to her invalid sister and Nugent· s fight against the land-hungry efforts of Lord Dunraven to turn Estes Park into a private game reserve Why Nugent considers this fate more destructive than carving the same land into 160-acre cattle ranches is not clear until, near the end , Isabella herself begins to understand that 'it was his [Nugent's] lust for the land that was in itself driving him mad . He truly believed that such terrible change was on the horizon that even the mountains themselves could not survive it.,

In The Arms of The Sky is a unique take on the spinster and the outlaw tale In staying faithful to the \\-Titten record, however , the story does lose some narrative drive , and in parts it leans toward travelogue. Still, it is clear that Earl Murray has a great love of the

majestic Rocky Mountains , and he imbues the story of Isabella and Jim with a tragic, romantic magic

Lisa Ann Verge

TREE OF LIFE

Hugh Nissenson , Paul Dry Books, 2000, $14 .95 , trade pb , 188pp , ISBN : 0-9664913-2-7

Tree of Life is a powerful novel about one man ' s journey in faith as he journeys through life in the early 1800s. Set in Richland County, part of the Ohio frontier in 181 l , this work takes the reader into the mind of Thomas Keene , a Congregational minister who has lost his faith and uses the challenges of frontier life to find his way. Nissenson ' s novel is a marriage of fact and fiction, written journal-style as entries in a 'waste book. ' For Keene , his waste book becomes more then just an account of his monetary transactions The writer includes drawings and illustrations that enhance the story being told It is this inclusion of drawings , maps and woodcuts that gives the reader greater insight into the thoughts of this complex and driven man

At the start of the ' accounting ' in his waste book, Thomas has only $17 62 to his name and numerous problems Among these are the facts that he has started a still , drinks too much, and suddenly fmds himself fancying the widow of a nearby farmer , Fanny Fanny is not the only inhabitant of Richland County that Keene finds fascinating Keene he is also intrigued by John Chapman, who is otherwise known as Johnny Appleseed In particular, Thomas fmds the relationship between the Delaware Indians and John Chapman to be one of the key factors in his life during the years between 18 11 through 1812 . As the waste book entries unfold, so does the state of mind that has driven Thomas from his safe New England home to the unknown frontier of Ohio

The language , situations and content provide a revealing look into what goes through the mind of a man who has lost all his faith and is facing the most challenging part of his life

Nissenson takes topics and situations that might otherwise be difficult to read , and makes them palpable, by writing the book in the format of a waste book. This format allows the reader to pick up and read just a few entries , weeks or days apart , without losing the rhythm or pace of the novel. Though the situations and issues that Keene and his fellow settlers encounter do not display the usual heroism that has come to be a more typical depiction of America ' s westward expansion, there is a element of honesty in Nissenson ' s style, which makes the work more believable

Although a refreshing novel , the language and situations depicted by the author will make this book appeal primarily to those who do not still idolize America ' s early settlers.

Shannon M Wally

A PRAYER FOR THE DYING

Stewart O'Nan, Picador USA, 2000 , $13 00 , trade pb , l 95pp, ISBN 0-312-25501-2

For a historical horror novel set in post-Civil War Wisconsin, A Prayer for the Dying has an experimental prose style : present tense, strong verbs . ·Children tramp the woods , wade the creeks , sound the cool ponds .' Stewart O'Nan ups the ante . By addressing the second person, he puts you inside the head of the protagonist. At first it feels intrusive to be told ' you like it like this.' The intimacy is jarring. The narrator wants you to know what it's like to be young sheriff Jacob Hansen Jacob finds a dead transient in a Union Army uniform In a time of poverty and desperation, Jacob assumes it was murder . Transporting the body , he finds a woman delirious in a field Doctor Guterson diagnoses diphtheria, a contagion spreading from an encampment of the Holy Light Colony and its leader Rev Chase

A man of faith , Jacob faces a moral dilemma - whether to leave town with his wife Marta and their baby, or stay on to serve the townspeople as sheriff, deacon and undertaker. He tracks down Clytie, the mad cow , for an uncivil widow. The cow becomes a symbol of the plague-ridden Colony woman Apocalyptic , strange happenings beset the town Drought, followed by fire Things large and small go wrong .

O'Nan works the historical details into the scene : ' Your belt buckle jingles and clinks ; her petticoats rustle .' Bells toll the death knell , and Jacob and Marta count the chimes , guessing who has died

The fire spreads like purification, approaching the Hermit by the Lake. As the animals die, Jacob burns the barns. He takes to burning houses with a bucket brigade standing by . Sometimes the inhabitants aren't dead yet.

The novel has a millennial feel as Jacob pieces together the progress of the plague

The soldier slept with the Colony woman, and he touched them both Obedience to what he perceived as his duty brings tragedy on the whole town. Rev Chase becomes his rival , as he takes better care of his flock than Jacob does his .

In this harrowing tale , Jacob's God always wins . In the valley of death, Thy will be done Marcia K. Matth e ws

DEATH AT WHITECHAPEL

Robin Paige, Berkley, 2000, $5 .99, pb, 276pp, ISBN 0-425-17341-0

In this sixth book by husband-and-wife writing team Robin Paige, detectives Sir Charles Sheridan and his wife, Kate Ardleigh, are plunged into the world of Jack the Ripper. Their friend, Jennie Jerome Churchill , is being blackmailed with evidence that her late husband was in fact the notorious Ripper. She begs the Sheridans to help her before the scandal breaks and ruins the political aspirations of her son, Winston

There can be little doubt as to the depth of the research. Victorian England springs to life with the smallest details sprinkled adeptly into the narrative The characters, primary and secondary, arc well drawn , engaging and entirely human.

Paige has fashioned a well-integrated plot ; however, at times some aspects fall too easily into place for Charles More successful is the sleuthing of Kate and Jennie, as they venture into the depths of London's East End, dressed as servants to remain inconspicuous While the first few chapters drag a little, once Jennie discusses her dilemma with the Sheridans the pace picks up Though not a perfect read, Death at Whitechapel provides enough mystery and history to please most readers of the genre

Tere sa Eckford

THAT FATEFUL LIGHTNING: A NOVEL OF ULYSSES S GRANT

Richard Parry, Ballantine, 2000, $24 .9 5 , hb , 368pp , ISBN 0-345-42728-9

A dying and destitute Ulysses S Grant must write his memoirs to bring financial security to his wife and family Mark Twain will publish them , selling by subscription, and promising Grant seventy percent of the profits . The tension in the novel comes from Grant's efforts to stay alive to fmish his work . The narrative alternates between the ailing Grant's push to complete his work and his memories of certain battles in the Civil War Battle scenes are depicted in a realistic way, although not graphically , reminding the reader that war is not to be glorified Grant is drawn as an unprepossessing figure , yet a military mind to be reckoned with He was constantly being undermined and spied upon by politicians in Washington, and it is enjoyable to see him prevail over their backstabbing with his military victories. However, the prose in many scenes has a tendency towards over exposition, as in one instance when Grant describes his father-in-law to his wife as ' Colonel Dent, your father .' Other factual details are inserted with the same lack of subtlety And, despite the character sketches , the only characters who are rendered vividly

are General Sherman and the reporter Sylvanus Cadwallader who accompanies Grant's division and on one memorable occasion attempts to cover up the alcoholic Grant's drinking spree Otherwise, characters tend to blend together, one incompetent general indistinguishable from the next. Even Mark Twain fails to come to life, appearing just as an answer to Grant's financial prayers

The narrative concentrates on the military stratagems of the war rather than why the war was being fought. However, mention is made of Grant's former friends from West Point who fight on the other side and the fact that ' their cause must be the poorest that ever surfaced on the face of this earth .' Military enthusiasts may enjoy this book, but to others its appeal is limited. Not recommended

Ellen Keith

JANE LONG OF TEXAS 1798-1880: A Biographical Novel of Jane Wilkinson Long of Texas, Based on Her True Story Neila Skinner Petrick, Firebird Press (avail through Pelican Publishing) , 2000 , $19.95 , trade pb , 299pp , ISBN 1565547586 Spanish Texas of the early nineteenth century was a strange, wild land . It took extraordinary men to settle it. It took even more extraordinary women . Petrick tells the story of one such woman, Jane Wilkinson Long

Jane Long ' s story begins in 1815 in Natchez, Mississippi , where she lives with her prominent uncle, General James Wilkinson. There she meets and marries a young adventurer, Dr James Long, a veteran of the War of 1812 It soon becomes apparent that James ' ambitions are beyond that of a simple town doctor His obsession turns to the governorship of Texas, and it is into Texas that General Long leads his army to take Nacogdoches Jane follows and thenceforth spends most of her young married life following and waiting for her husband When James Long is ' accidentally ' killed by a Mexican sentry, Jane is left to raise her children alone She rises to the occasion admirably , and it is from this point that Jane comes into her own.

Petrick ' s historic data seems to be very close to the mark There is , however, some information that may be questionable , such as whether Mary James , Jane ' s second child, was in fact the first Anglo child born in Texas Also, much effort is spent in characterizing Jane Long as a beautiful romance novel heroine It is easy to see from the existing photos that Jane Long was no real beauty but perhaps just one of a very few women in the territory , which would explain her large number of suitors and admirers The historic Jane Long did not need beauty She had something more substantial : determination

and a strong sense of self. Amidst the revolution that would gain Texas its independence, Jane Long proved herself to truly be the Mother of Texas Loree M Davi s

PRAIRIE SONG

Cheryl Anne Porter, St. Martin's , 2000 , $5 99 , pb , 342pp, ISBN 0312972911

Kate Chandler flees New York City for the wilds of Oklahoma and the Great Land Run, hoping to escape a dark and dangerous past Her path crosses with Cole Youngblood, hired gun newly saddled with his orphaned nephews and niece Problem? Kate learns a single woman can't stake a claim, while Cole knows the life he leads doesn't lend itself to being a father. The solution seems simple : they marry , and Cole claims land for Kate while she takes care of the little ones until he can find a permanent home for them.

But her secret and his new assignment will make their lives more complicated than either could possible imagine

That this Western romance held the attention of one who normally shuns this sub-genre says much about its appeal. The tale is unique in both setting and characters The Land Run of 1889 is not often used in Western romances , and Ms Porter does a wonderful job of setting the reader firmly in the time and place with her historic detail without overpowering the story itself. Both are full y written, empathetically flawed human beings , and watching them work through their own traumas to fall in love is a touching journey for any romance fan.

In fact , the emotional love story Ms . Porter pens is so strong, the physical consummation should be one of the high points of the book. Unfortunately , the consummation is ill-timed to point of seeming extraneous , and takes some of the warmth out of the feeling the reader could have for the romance up to that point. However, despite this drawback, the story as a whole should please Western and romance readers alike

NinaC. Davis

MANASSAS (Civil War Battles Series , Bk l)

James Reasoner , Cumberland House , 1999 , $22 95 , hb , 352pp , ISBN l-58182-008-9

SHILOH (Civil War Battles Series, Book 2)

James Reasoner, Cumberland House , 1999, $22 95, hb ISBN l-58182-048-8

ANTIETAM (Civil War Battles Series , Bk 3)

James Reasoner, Cumberland House, 2000 , $22.95 , hb , 368pp, ISBN l-58182-084-4

These three novels are the first of a projected eight-volume set on the American Civil War as seen through the eyes of one Southern

famil y - the Brannons of Culpepper, Virginia Each of the eight will feature a particular battle as its title (and, incidentally , have a colorful battle scene painted by noted Ci vil War artist Don Troiani on the book jacket) , but readers should be aware that the battle of the title is only a relatively small part of each volume. Readers should also be advised to read the novels in succession if at all possible The characters are not difficult to analyze, but the chronological development of the conflict itself is important to the story Reasoner attempts to tell .

A further note of caution may be necessary for some The fortunes and misfortunes of the Brannon clan are written with a definite Southern bias. These are not evil slaveholders fighting for a racist social system . Rather , the protagonists are noble yeoman farmers who reluctantly go to war to save their homes and families from Yankee outsiders.

Even the most casual student of American history is aware of the enormous body of literature devoted to the Civil War (Cold Mountain and Th e Killer Angels are two of the more recent bestselling novels) , and Reasoner can expect to be read with a critical eye by the legions of Civil War buffs and amateur Civil War historians who consistently devour novels and histories of the time period . The author will certainly take some warranted criticism for his treatment of Stonewall Jackson's personality His friendl y, warm personality will certainly come as a shock to students of the conflict. Readers will be comfortable with Reasoner's view of life for whites in the mid- l 9th century South He has obviously done his homework. The main characters , the sons and daughter of Abigail Brannon, are Virginia farmers caught up in the South's rebellion in 1861. We follow the diverse wartime adventures of each family member as the conflict evolves , expands , and inexorably consumes and destroys their prewar society Three of the sons are in the Confederate forces by the end of the third volume, and all of them encounter actual participants (notably Stonewall Jackson and Nathan Bedford Forrest, to name the most significant so far) Also putting in appearances are stock fictional characters from Confederate central casting: the salty riverboat captain, beautiful and virginal women , the rich and cowardly plantation owner , the loyal slave , hordes of valiant Southern soldiers , and an equal number of faceless Yankee invaders Each Brannon son participates in the campaigns and battles in their respective war zones (Corey in the Western fighting along the Mississippi River and his brothers with Jackson and in Jeb Stuart's cavalry)

The military background and campaign analysis speak volumes for Reasoner's research. The battle scenes themselves are surprisingly lacking in dramatic impact, and this is a major disappointment. The author consistently falls short in his description of that part of Civil War fiction that will attract most of his public to read the novels in the first place. The unrelenting description of brave Southerners standing up to Yankee aggression also takes a toll The battle action will not replace The Killer Angels, and the characters and stories will not make one forget Cold Mountain , but Reasoner does a credible job in illustrating one family's reaction to the terrors of Civil War America

John R Vallely

A STILL SMALL VOICE

John Reed, Delacorte (Random House), 2000, $23 95, hb , 368pp, ISBN 0-385-33405-2

A Still Small Voice 1s a beautiful novel reminiscent of Frazier's Cold Mountain not only because of the Civil War time period but also in its poetry and the author's tender regard for his characters

The novel is comprised of the recollections of Alma Flynt, who records them at the request of her family It effectively chronicles Alma's physical and emotional maturation from the time of her birth in 1852 through age 21

Orphaned at the age of four during a cholera outbreak, young Alma relates what she can remember of the three years she spends in a Richmond, Virginia , orphanage, where loneliness and hunger figure prominently Alma is seven years old when her widowed Aunt Bettina Flynt Evans arranges for Alma to join her in Cotterpin Creek, Kentucky Alma fmds herself in the midst of a tightly knit though socially and economically diverse community Unaccustomed to sufficient food, clothing and love, Alma is shy and withdrawn and adjusts only gradually Aunt Bettina is a healer with a high regard for all of nature and for every living creature Her healing skills are her livelihood as she barters her medicinals for whatever goods or services she needs Among Alma's neighbors are the well-to-do horse farmers , and slaveholders, the Clevelands. She develops and immediate and lasting bond with young John Warren Cleveland as he shares with her the intricacies of horse training (clearly a favorite topic of the author) and the childhood delights inherent in bluegrass country.

As the South secedes from the Union, Alma's Kentucky community is deeply divided and thrown into the fear , horror and deep sadness of war. Overrun first by Confederate and then Union armies , the Cotterpin Creek

community is politic and circumspect in all its dealings, and so it adapts and survives , as does Alma. She discovers over time that she must never cease to change and adapt in order to evolve and grow

Several themes figure prominently in A Still Small Voice. Most evident are human adaptability and ingenuity, respect for all creation, and the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation, all intertwined with a deep (though never heavy-handed) spirituality.

A Still Small Voice is a thoughtful and reflective novel , with memorable characters in believable situations true to the actual circumstances of Kentuckians during the Civil War The novel should have broad appeal .

Jean Langlais

CORDELIA UNDERWOOD, OR, THE MARVELOUS BEGINNINGS OF THE MOOSEPATH LEAGUE

Van Reid, Penguin, 1999, $13, trade pb, 432pp, ISBN : 0-14-0128010-3

After reading so many westerns over the course of the years, it comes as a distinct pleasure to read an ' eastern' for a change. Maine, that is, in the year 1896

The Underwoods, and their unmarried 23-year-old daughter Cordelia, are the center of this slightly unfocused (but hilarious) novel. Cordelia's Uncle Basil, a man of the sea, has died abroad, and now a mysterious caller leaves word that his chest will soon be delivered to them; in the chest, a legacy for Cordelia, and a mysterious message in code

There are three parts to the story, however, converging and intermingling throughout the 400 pages it takes to tell it. Tobias Walton, portly and jolly, is heir to the Walton shoe dynasty. To his surprise, he is about to become the chairman of the as-yet-unformed club called The Moosepath League the brainchild of three rather clueless bachelors, Ephram, Eagleton and Thump , whose adventures form the third branch of the interwoven tale

Off in many directions at once , at times the book seems little more than an excuse for a succession of tall Yankee yarns, bringing a smile at nearly every page , and a chuckle at the end of every chapter. Some sudden twists of the plot occur, however, and just as quickly, there's a mystery to be solved Wonderful!

A ghostly apparition, a sea monster, an escaped trained bear, a moose (of course) tangled in red-flannel underwear, a kidnapping, a treasure chest (perhaps) , a female balloonist (in tights) , a romance (or two) does that sum it up? A book for the Romantic at heart , and as James Underwood says on page 30: ' Is there any other place to be one?'

Steve Lewis

YELLOW JACK

Josh Russell, Norton, 1999, $23 95, hb, 250 pp, ISBN 0-393-04768-7

Early in Yellow Jack, the principal character's father falls victim to a biting-robbery-murder during an outdoor encounter with a Parisian prostitute A few pages later, young Claude Marchand, now in residence at New Orleans , starts to rob a man in a similar position only to become his partner in the early photography business and in a menage a trois . If this were a didactic novel from the 1840s era in which it is set, the moral would be to keep one's member within one's trousers lest one be bitten or beset.

The novel tells the story of an evil assistant to Edward Daguerre who pirates the process as it is being developed in Paris and sets up as a miraculous portrait producer in New Orleans. The character is so vile that we are informed early on that he will throw himself in the river at the end of the book , presumably to encourage us to read on for the happy ending. The narrative consists of a series of observations from a fictional book of the early history of daguerreotypes , interspersed with first person accounts from the protagonist, Marchand (actually a name he borrowed from an associate) and Millicent, his racially mixed mistress whose improbable devotion remains one of the book's mysteries

A yellow fever epidemic combines with liberal doses of mercury vapor and opium smoke to create a miasma throughout the book. We follow the narrator from relishing passive buggery to casual adultery to consensual sex with an eleven-year old girl. The epidemic and the early development of photography provide a backdrop .

Like too many historical novels, Yellow Jack has no author's note to guide the reader between invention and history The principal interest of the novel to those who might not relate to the sexual landscape would probably be the 47 daguerreotypes described but not otherwise represented

James Hawking

A TWIST AT THE END: A Novel of

0. Henry

Steven Saylor, Simon & Schuster, 2000 , $25 , hb, 462pp, ISBN : 0-684-8568 l-6

Jack the Ripper is arguably the most notorious serial killer of all time, fictional and non-fictional . And yet 'The Servant Girl Annihilator ' of Austin, Texas, predated the London killer by two years and was equally vicious in the way he took the lives of his victims Blaring newspaper headlines, eight gruesome deaths, the real life mystery never solved and the deeds are all but forgotten

Saylor, known until now as the author of a series of detective mysteries taking place in

ancient Rome , turns his attention in this book to the capital city of Texas , 1884 -1885

His hero is Will Porter, later to become world famous as short story writer, 0 . Henry This was before his disgrace (embezzlement) and his stay in prison, when life was easy and carefree and infatuation (if not love) was wholly spontaneous and instinctive

Years later, in 1906 , Porter is enticed back to Texas from New York City, and memories come flooding back. With a little bit of ingenuity , Saylor suggests an ending to the mystery not an 0. Henry ending as he prepares the way a little too well. The culprit(s) at least the one(s) he hypothesizes are suggested too strongly for the ' twist at the end ' to wholly hold true

Which is not to say that it doesn't feel exactly right. Life in that heated Texas summer of 20 years before is brought vividly to life , including that of the common people . The poor, the blacks , the drunkards and idlers But also the leading politicians, many in their hypocritical glory ; the lawmen , many in their vulgar, kneejerk hatred of blacks ; the newspapermen, the madames of exclusive brothels (and otherwise) ; the servants of the rich, and the rich themselves

It's a fascinating cast of characters , with many of the concerns of the day woven intimately throughout. For example : did you know that the Texas Senate of 1885 almost passed a law requiring an equal number of women as men to be hired as government clerks? t's during the debate over this issue that Will Porter first meets his first love, and the events begin that eventually cause his downfall

A word of caution : books about serial killers can scarcely avoid going into details , and while Saylor doesn't dwell on them, and they're not overly done, they are present and not pleasant. The overall tone is at times profane and vulgar, and at others, light and lyrical. But mostly it's a book to let yourself get swallowed up in, savor and enjoy.

Steve Lewis

GONE FOR SOLDIERS

Jeff Shaara, Ballantine, 2000, $26.95 , hb , 424pp, ISBN 0-345-42750-5

This novel portrays General Win.field Scott's 1847 anabasis from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, the campaign which ended the Mexican-American War More than half of the book is told from the point of view of Scott's favorite junior officer, Captain Robert E Lee , alternating with Scott's own view point , and with smaller segments told from the perspective of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and some selected U.S . officers.

Simple maps clarify the numerous flanking movements by which the North

Americans defeat the Mexicans at every turn Lee's daring reconnaissance leads to victories at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo , through the lava beds onto Mexico City and the fortress Chapultupec Lee's central position in all of these actions seems suspiciously inflated , but the historical record corroborates such details as his near escape from death by friendly fire while discovering a mountain attack route , his march through the lava , and his witnessing the death of the nephew of his colleague Joe Johnston

Political maneuvering on the divided general staff provides much of the book's conflict. President James Polk is portrayed as denying necessary support lest he exalt a rival for the presidency (Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce were generals in this war, and both ran successfully for president in the next two elections, while Scott himself was defeated by Pierce )

The internal dialogue shows some stiffness , especially with Lee, a man for whom strong coffee was a major vice. A saltier Scott fosters Lee's development from competent engineer to brilliant tactician Scott himself is portrayed as a worthy commander who prepared his army well in peacetime and led it daringly in war, a judgment concurred with by military historians like John Eisenhower. Santa Anna comes across as a gluttonous mountebank, alternating between listening to American bribe offers and calling upon his countrymen to drive the yanquis out of the country . Most of the book's Mexicans seem to owe something of their characterization to a television series called Zorro.

Nonetheless , the book's historical accuracy is impressive, although the author gives none of his sources. Gone for Soldiers showcases officers such as Ulysses S. Grant, James Longstreet, and Stonewall Jackson , linking the book to Shaara's previous success with Civil War novels. All characters are historical with no fictional everyman giving us life in the trenches , but the military history is solid and compelling

James Hawking

DEATH ON A SIL VER TRAY

Rosemary Stevens, Berkley Prime Crime, 2000, $21.95, hb, 277pp , ISBN 0-425-17468-9

Beau Brummell is narrator in this frothy Regency mystery . I am a bit surprised that his dressing ritual and the time he spends trend-setting allow him enough leisure to detect , but a two hour session for getting shaved and dressed allows lots of thinking time Readers learn a great deal about fabrics, clothing styles, fashionable (and not so fashionable) fabric colors , and other more general Regency customs and institutions.

The plot involves the murder of one very nasty Society woman, and the suspicion that she was murdered by her young companion. The Duchess of York, who recommended the companion for this position, begs Brummell to discover who is really guilty The characters , even the secondary ones , are well-drawn personalities. Many of them were actual people living in I 805 , such as the Prince of Wales , the Duke of Clarence, and the Duke and Duchess of York (as well as the Duke's mistress) . This book has been receiving a great deal of acclaim on this side of the Atlantic , and while it did grow on me as I continued to read, Brummell ' s personality grated-he was just a bit too precious for my taste , even though this most likely does reflect his personality accurately

Trodi Jacobson

CHANG AND ENG

Darin Strauss , Dutton, 2000, $23 .95 , hb , 336pp, ISBN 0-525-94512-1

In this enthralling first novel , Darin Strauss has combined meticulous historical research with imaginative storytelling to create a richly detailed, multilayered account of Chang and Eng , the original Siamese twins . Born in 1811 on the Mekong River in the Kingdom of Siam, Chang and Eng were considered a bizarre curiosity from almost the moment they drew breath. Identical twins , joined at the chest by a fleshy band , the boys shared a stomach, but otherwise they were separate. Eng, the story ' s narrator, is a reserved, studious individual, a reader of Shakespeare and a proponent of temperance , and all his life longs to be liberated from the physical attachment to his brother Chang, however, is somewhat coarse , outgoing , and a hard drinker, who could never view himself as an entity apart from Eng.

At the age of seven, Chang and Eng are summoned to the opulent court of King Rama of Siam, who looks them over, condemns them to death, then changes his mind, educates them, and exploits them as national freaks. In 1825, a fortune-seeking American promoter lures them onto a ship bound for the United States, where he displays them to curious audiences as a circus act.

The brothers become sensational celebrities, tour the United States and Europe, perform their acrobatic act for the general masses, meet royalty , and experience the world . As the brothers become men and they achieve financial stability, they find a measure of freedom from the grueling tour circuit.

While traveling through North Carolina in 1842 , Chang and Eng meet the Yates sisters, Adelaide and Sarah, which leads to the odd courtship and eventual marriage of the

brothers to the two sisters The brothers adopt the surname Bunker, father 21 children between them, become successful plantation owners, and survive the turbulence of the American Civil War

Using sensitive and moving language and vivid description , Strauss creates sharply drawn, colorful characters: from the twins' sad. poverty-stricken parents to the opportunistic Captain Coffin to the illustrious P T Barnum to a host of minor figures , both real and imagined . His greatest triumph, though, is in his depiction of the brothers themselves : he brings their lives from somewhat shrouded circumstances, endows them with individual personalities, characteristics, and emotions , and makes them believable human beings. The reader is presented with a truly remarkable portrait of Chang and Eng, two unusual men whose greatest desire was to lead normal lives

This is a fascinating , highly readable , and enlightening historical novel about two figures who deserve to be remembered as more than the ' original Siamese twins .'

Michael I. Shoop

SIGN-TALKER

James Alexander Thom , Ballantine, 2000 , $25 .95, hb , 466 pp , ISBN 0-345-39003-2 While the story of the exploration and settling of the American West by white Americans in the face of stubborn resistance by red Americans is a staple in all U.S. history textbooks , few accounts take up the period from the Indian point of view. James Alexander Thom, author of the award-winning Panther in the SJ...y and other Western novels , provides this neglected view by having an Indian named George Drouillard narrate the saga of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Drouillard was an actual member of the small band of explorers He was enlisted for his hunting skills and ability to communicate with tribes encountered along the way ('sign-talking') and served throughout the epic Journey

Initially apprehensive about being so close to white men , Drouillard soon grows to admire and envy the courage and fortitude of William Clark and Merriweather Lewis as they face unprecedented challenges in their long and debilitating trek to the Pacific and back. We observe as he tries to comprehend the attitudes and behavior of his white colleagues as they face the dangers of the trail and the inevitable interpersonal squabbles. We also watch as the white men react to the nuances of the Indian societies they encounter.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition is an enduring American saga in and of itself. Drouillard's view of it is a re.freshing change and aids the reader in understanding the

impact this new world will have on the native American inhabitants of the old one Realistic in its description of the land and its peoples and written from a point of view rarely encountered, Sign-Talker is a fine introduction to Lewis and Clark and the Indian world they witnessed. It is also a fascinating view into the people and customs of the red and white populations which will wage a long and tortured series of wars for dominance over the American west. Thom takes us there in a way a more conventional novelist never could John R. Vallely

THE HEARTSONG OF CHARGING ELK

James Welch, Doubleday, 2000, $24.95,hb, 367pp, ISBN : 0-385-49674-5

The considerable power and impact generated in this novel come partJy from the actuality behind Welch's fiction. 1n 1889 a young Oglala Siou.x (one of the ' wild' ones, who as a child had seen Custer's bloody end on the Greasy Grass) is left behind in France, in Marseilles , by Buffalo Bill Cody's travelling Wild West show. He manages to survive , not knowing the language, utterly and ' savagely ' ignorant of the culture and the rules of the society

Charging Elk (who is about eighteen years old when be is injured, hospitalized, and forgotten by Cody the Showman) manages to escape the law and the Beast of Bureaucracy (the French model - Wakan Tanka preserve us!) not once but twice . The young Indian also survives an infatuation with a French whore and a prison term, after he had knifed and killed a repulsive , or pathetic, pervert, and he is eventually pardoned from a sentence of prison for life.

Big, dark, and dangerous-looking, he still is vulnerable to all of the traps set by hostile or indifferent (and casually racist) society What comes across in the long but very rarely tedious or badly crafted narrative is Charging Elk's dignity expressed without pretence, however underlain by fear and a terrible confusion. The Sioux warrior's strange yet eventually powerful and enduring personality is made manifest, and we hear the echoes of an evoked reality as an exotic, unskilled stranger confronts the necessity to live , to work, and perhaps even to find some sort of love in working-class Marseilles.

Welch approaches the old, simplistic vision of the Noble Savage but never succumbs to it , steers clear of useless polemic, and rolls his large caste of peripheral characters in and out of the story with a sure and practiced skill. His solid focus on his central Indian character makes his historical-novelistic task a little simpler, and some scenes and purely striking

There are a few anachronisms (and some barbarous French) but at the well-drawn, believable and even touching conclusion, when the aging

Cody brings his show back to Marseilles after sixteen years , the reader will realize that this is a much cleverer, more solid, and more acute book than may have first appearedharsh in tone but never unforgiving or too dark - and that Charging Elk's very human 'heartsong' was worth waiting for and listening to .

Dean Miller

A SIMPLE SHAKER MURDER

Deborah Woodworth, Avon, 2000 , $5.99 , pb , 246 pp, ISBN 0-380-80425-5

This is the fourth entry in the Sister Rose Callahan series, set in the Shaker Village of North Homage, Kentucky during the 1930s

The Great Depression forms a potent backdrop for all four stories. The apparent wealth of the Shaker community, particularly in regard to the variety and quantity of the food they have available , causes residents of the nearby village of Languor to look upon the religious community with suspicion and ill-will . The village sheriff is not immune to such feelings , and detection often falls onto Rose , the eldress of the Shakers This volume sees the arrival of a group of New-Owemtes at North Homage Ostensibl y, they are there to study the communal living habits of the Shakers, in preparation for reviving Robert Owen's utopian community of New Harmony, Indiana

However, they seem bent upon sowing discord and suspicion amongst the Shakers, rather than quietly observing the community One of the New-Owenites is found hanging from a tree in the Shaker orchard, and the murder may have been observed by a wild, mistreated child who arrived with the New-Owenites , and who may be in danger for her life Rose not only has to cope with trying to solve the murder, but also her desire to protect and educate the girl.

In preparation for reviewing this book, I read the first two in the series . I found all three to be fascinating glimpses into a unique way of life that is almost extinct in the US today (there is only one remammg Shaker community, with just a very few , very elderly , residents).

Trudi Jacobson

US: TWENTIETH CENTIJRY

RED GRASS RIVER: A LEGEND

aines Carlos Blake, Avon, 2000 , $14 , trade pb , 384pp , ISBN : 0-380-97493-2

John Ashley's gang was mostly a family affair, a notorious crew of moonshiners , bootleggers and natural-born outlaws , thri ving in the Florida Everglades shortly before World War I and into the Prohibition era Old Joe Ashley was the father of the clan, but this is John's story . Ruthless and charming, John Ashley cut a fine figure in Florida folklore, killing and robbing and consummately charming the ladies Opposing him, on the side of the law, are the Bakers , first Sheriff George Baker, then his son Bobby, once John Ashley's friend, but no more

For the first 200 pages or so , this is a grand updat.ed version of the old pulp fiction yarns of racketeers and gangsters and cops and thieves Or make that ' Pulp Fiction, the Movie ,' for this is far more violent and sexually explicit than was ever allowed in print, back in the 20s and 30s Blake is an excellent writer, and he truly makes life in the swampy Everglades come to (shall we say) life

But the story of the Ashleys is based on real events and real people, and unfortunately Blake is restricted (more or less) to the facts , and the facts , let's face it, eventually become repetitive , wearisome, and leading to only one final conclusion and with almost half the book left to go

Or, perhaps the problem is that there is nothing to admire in any of the characters , perhaps fascinating on the surface for a short while, but the dazzle soon disappears John Ashley is nothing more than another cheap hoodlum Bobby Baker, who later also became sheriff, is (oµ the other hand) vulgar and sadistic, hardly a man who would ever be remembered, except for his incessant vendetta against the Ashleys

A bawdy, violent tale, all in all, well-written, but only marginally entertaining.

Steve Lewis

BEEN HERE AND GONE : A Memoir of the Blues

David Dalton, William Morrow , 2000 , $25 , hb , 432pp , ISBN 0380976765

In what has to be one of the more audacious undertakings of the year, David Dalton relates the entire history of the Blues through the eyes of one Coley Williams , a wholly fictional Delta bluesman, who ' was there .'

Late last century, at age 100 (or so) Coley looks back on his life , as he tells Dalton about how he knew and played with Charley Patton, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Robert Johnson Howling Wolf, the young B B King, Chuck Berry As a youngster Coley felt the terror of the KKK, witnessed lynchings , and knew the struggle for life that blacks led in the South In his weaker (and less affluent days) he robbed stores and stole his first electric guitar

The Delta dialect sounds authentic Coley's story is boisterous , rowdy and raunchy. (Check out why his days on live radio were limited to one performance! ) He was there when Elvis recorded his first sessions with Sun Records , the birth of rock and roll . He was there when the Rolling Stones swallowed up the American blues and regurgitated them back again He was there when Jimi Hendrix first played as Jimmy James and the Flames .

What's Jacking, if I could be so bold as to suggest , is a narrative drive to the tale . On a personal level , we're left only to wonder if Coley's marriage to the long-suffering Vida Lee will survive Overall , the book is best read in bits and pieces, I believe, and it should have come with a CD to slide into the player at the same time as the book is read

Even without, it's nothing more than a richly preserved, knock-em-dead recreation of musical history, masterfully done. Hmm, hmm,hmm .

Steve Lewis

RED, WHITE AND BLUE MURDER

A Hilda Johansson Mystery

Jeanne M Dams , Walker & Co , 2000 , $n/k, hb , 256pp, ISBN 08027334 l 7 Dams ' second Hilda Johansson murder mystery (following Death in Lacquer Red) opens in 190 I with the assassination of President McKinley The suspected assassin is a recent immigrant to the United States, considered an anarchist. During the days after McKinley ' s shooting, South Bend has its own grisly murders with which to contend Are the murders linked to the class struggle which some say motivated McKinley ' s assassin?

Hilda, a gutsy , intuitive, young Swedish housemaid, works for the illustrious Studebaker family , manufacturers of carriages for the landed gentry , and staunch McKinley supporters . Hilda ' s foreign roots are both a source of pride and a painful reminder that she is an outsider She desperately wishes to become an American citizen and to fit in, yet wants to protect her immigrant brethren

Hilda finally finds the individual responsible for the South Bend murders. Apart from Darns' talent in creating an entertaining, attractive heroine , she also

liberally peppers the book with actual newspaper snippets, bringing the history of the period to life I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to Dams ' next Hilda Johansson mystery

Ilys a Ma gnus

CHRISTMAS STONES AND THE STORY CHAIR

Justin Isherwood, Home Brew Press , 1999 , $16, trade pb , 202pp, ISBN 1891609041 Christmas Stones pays homage to a simpler time and place Author Justin Isherwood recounts his famil y's tradition of offering Christmas ' stones ' or stories in lieu of gifts . One by one, his uncles and even sometimes an aunt would sit on the much revered and deco'rated story chair to unwind a tale , a mixture of reality and fantasy , hopefully with just the right amount of adventure and blood, for a rapt audience of family members The crucial element of every story was the stone each storyteller brought to the chair.

Of course , each stone was ' no ordinary stone,' as would be revealed during the course of the narrative. All activity in the house would come to a standstill during story time . It's no wonder, since each storyteller would practice all year for the coming offering in hopes of outdoing the others Isherwood successfull y conveys the magical feeling of being the listener and the anticipation with which each story was met lo recreating his childhood Christmases , he reminds the reader that in modem times , Christmas has become much more about giving and receiving ' stuff' than about coming together for a multigenerational famil y celebration Perhaps if enough people read this whimsical, endearing collection of stories , he will be instrumental in righting the course of things

Alice Logsdon

MOLLY

Nancy J. Jones , Crown, 2000 , $22, hb , 273pp, ISBN 0-6-09-60462- 7

Friendship and families both provoke powerful emotions , particularly for women Molly , the debut novel by Nancy J. Jones , explores how two young girls , Becky and Molly , are both influenced by their friendship and their famil y relationships Set in a small town in Illinois during the 1940s, the author debunks the illusion that life was innocent in post - war middle America Jones is a Nabokov scholar and intersperses elements of his novel, Lolita , skillfully within this story Both those who have read Lolita as well as those who have not can enjoy the resulting novel.

The friendship of Beck-y and Molly is fraught with sexual overtones from the onset.

BecJ...-y, the more introspective of the two , provides the voice of the narrator Though retrospective introspection, Becky examines her friendship with Molly from the point of view of a woman in her sixties. As Becky reflects upon her life , the reader learns that the roots of this pairing began the first day of school. Molly had a more adventuresome sprit than BecJ...-y, but their personalities complemented each other However, as they grew older, life changed, and the two girls were finally forced to separate when Molly' s mother moves herself and Molly to the East Coast.

It's at this point where the girls ' lives diverge, leaving the reader to know Molly ' s fate onl y through the eyes of her friend as she recalls Molly's life after the two girls parted company Through her narrator, the author uses elements such as journals and letters to give BecJ...-y the vehicle to share Molly's life with the reader. We learn how Molly deals with the death of her mother and her unusual relationship with her new stepfather in an attempt to mirror her own mother, using her sexuality to make her way in the world, while BecJ...-y hides her feelings

Although a story of an unusual friendship , it is also about choices that individuals will face in their lives , and the impact these choices can have on a person ' s future

Molly is well-written! , but the appeal of this particular work may be limited to those who are seeking introspective prose . The focus of this work is on the mental state, relative to the time period, of the two young women . The situations and the descriptions of Molly ' s life after she has left the Midwest could make this a difficult novel to read

I would recommend this work for those who are seeking a thought-provoking look into the minds of two individuals as they grow up in the 1~40s.

Shannon M Wally

DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE

James Kilgo, Berkley, 2000 , $13 .9 5, trade pb , 303pp , ISBN 0-425-17266-X In rural South Carolina in 1918 , the social taboos in existence prior to the Civil War are still adhered to , but Hart Bonner has broken one He ' s fallen in love with Jennie Grant. He ' s white and she ' s a cousin of mixed race When Jennie makes the mistake of being uppity , the entire county learns of their affair Tison, Hart ' s older brother, disapproves of such scandalous behavior, but he becomes fixated on Jennie. The mounting tension between the brothers propels them, Jennie , and the family down a path that has far-reaching and unforeseen consequences for everyone involved .

Kilgo ' s first novel compels the reader to tum the page, to savor each word that he ' s written He transports the reader back to a poverty-stricken south that still reels from the devastation of war. If you close your eyes , you can hear the clop of horses , the racket of the rare automobile, the insects chirping, or the yapping of the hounds You sweat from the sweltering heat or shiver from the icy cold This is the type of book that you curl up with on a rainy day, and when you finish reading , the characters and the setting will haunt you for many days to come .

Cindy Vallar

THE LOKI PROJECT

Benjamin King , Pelican Publishing , 2000 , $25 00, hb , 320 pp, ISBN 1565542835

The Atomic Bomb became possible as a war-wmrung weapon following the groundbreaking laboratory efforts of the largely forgotten German chemist Otto Hahn in 1938.

Students of the World War II era and Nazi Germany find it puzzling that a technologically sophisticated and industrially proficient country like Germany in the mid-20th century would be unable to convert Hahn's studies into a Nazi A-Bomb. Germany's frustrations owed not a little to the cartoon-like inefficiency of the National Socialist state apparatus and the Nazi attitude towards the ' Jewish science ' of Physics

Benjamin King , an historian for the US Army's Transportation Center, a paratroop veteran of Vietnam , and a historical novelist of some experience , takes up this story in the first of a planned two-volume fictional account of this failed Nazi effort.

Dr Maximilian Lamm is a Physics professor who joins the SS and is posted to the Racial Science Section at SS Headquarters in Berlin He soon murders his oafish superior and begins plotting to expand his powers to include the atomic research. Lamm encounters three of the most fascinating personalities of the Third Reich hierarchy - the absolutely frightening Reinhard Heydrich, the relentlessly peculiar Heinrich Himmler, and the peasant-like schemer Martin Borrmann Additional famous , and infamous , historical figures play critical roles at various times. The heart of the novel lies in Lamm's slow and careful acquisition of influence while British agents and German resistance forces assemble to thwart his designs King presents the reader with a plot ideally positioned for drama and suspense but , curiously , spends far more time on bureaucratic details than on the possibilities inherent in the story and topic.

A careful and thoughtful reader may still wonder why Lamm , a man disgusted by the

Nazis and their brutality, would strive so hard to work within their ranks to fulfill their goals A fine concept for a novel.

John R . Vallely

OFF THE MANGROVE COAST

Louis L'Amour , Bantam, 2000, $16 .95 , HB , 277pp, ISBN 0-553-80160-0

Louis L'Amour is likely to be one of the three most well-known western writers of all time rd place Zane Grey and Max Brand ahead of him, but you could argue with me. Of the nine stories brought together in this latest collection, however, only one takes place in the old West, and it's perhaps the only one that could safely be considered ' historical .'

There are two boxing stories , one about a private eye , and another about an insurance investigator in a tight spot. None of these , including the western, are worthy of more note than this A better one is a short little tale about a longshoreman who meets his match at checkers , and a good one is an interesting vignette that takes place in a French cafe after World War II 1be two best stories are the title story, about diving for treasure in the South China Sea, and a longer one about hunting for diamonds in the jungles of Borneo, infested with headhunters. The time these stories take place is unclear, perhaps in the 1940s , perhaps as early as the 1920s

L'Amour ' s pulpy, rough-hewn writing style is uneven, sometimes full of cliches and worn-out plot devices , sometime lyrical and imbued with a strong sense of what it takes to be a man But if he hadn't written these particular works , they'd have never been published again, I regret to say. The old pulp magazines are filled with stories just like these, gone and mostly forgotten , remembered only by a handful of enthusiasts who still collect them.

Postscript: As one of those selfsame enthusiasts , I really would have liked to known where these stories first appeared There is no bibliographical information provided at all. Steve L ewis

THE BLOOD LIBEL

Allan Levine, Great Plains Fiction (3-16 l Stafford Street, Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada, R3M 2X9 ; http://www greatplains mb ca) , 1997 , CA$19 .95 , trade pb , 265pp , ISBN 0-9697804-5-1

Winnipeg, l 91 l . Little Anna, who comprehends little English, is murdered after she overhears two men arguing The killer mutilates her body and leaves behind items belonging to a rabbi. Once the police identify the owner, they arrest him. hus begins the blood libel, a false accusation against the Jews by people who believe that the Jews murder

innocent children in a blood ritual. Years of medieval prejudice and bigotry have ingrained this fallacy into the minds of the many Eastern European immigrants who populate the boomtown in western Canada.

Sam Klein , a street-wise man who protects the girls from unruly customers at a local brothel, agrees to investigate the murder. The clues lead him through a tangled web that began in Czarist Russia in 1883 , and before he learns the truth, he must confront ethnic intolerance and the ghosts of his past and present.

This compelling page-turner grabs the reader from the start Levine ' s attention to historical detail paints a vivid picture that spirits the reader into frontier Winnipeg as if you are one of the passers-by on the street watching the story unfold His research and knowledge of the town and times make a totally fictitious event appear real And his seamless weaving of the tale will keep the reader guessing until the very end.

Cindy Vallar

NO GREAT MISCHIEF

Alistair MacLeod, Norton , 2000 , $23.95 (£12 .79 from Amazon.co.uk) , hb, 283pp, ISBN 0-393-04970-1

On Cape Breton Island, the Gaelic stronghold of Nova Scotia a land of windswept crags and rocky shores memories of years long past still reside in the hearts and minds of the people. Over two hundred years after Culloden, families of Scots descent still reminisce about the brave exploits of their handsome Bonnie Prince Charlie, and still lament the fact that the French did not come to his aid.

In I 779 , Calum MacDonald called Calum Ruooh for his red hair left the Scottish Highlands with his family, bound for a better life in Nova Scotia . At the end of the twentieth century, his descendant Alexander MacDonald works as an orthodontist in Ontario, though his heart has never left his homeland of Cape Breton While on a visit to his alcoholic eldest brother, living in squalor in a Toronto apartment , his thoughts tum back to his early days growing up with his grandparents and twin sister on the island His story is told in flashbacks, including flashbacks nested within each other at multiple levels. In a lesser writer·s hands , this might cause one to lose perspective, but here the reader ' s attention is held throughout.

Alexander's tale twines through various happenings of importance: the early deaths of his parents ; the unusual friendship of his two grandfathers , one relaxed and jovial, the other careful and contained; and the wild , violent summer spent with his three elder brothers as miners deep within the Canadian Shield

Wherever he or his siblings venture , they ' re identified both to themselves and to outsiders as members of the clann Chalum Ruaidh, the ' clan of the red Cal um .· In this large extended family where relationships matter more than names , distant relatives in Scotland greet their Canadian kin with open arms , grandparents use Gaelic to recount tales of the old country , and even the family dogs are loyal unto death Lyrical and moving , N o Great Mi schief ma 'historical fiction ' in its usual definition , but one would be hard-pressed to find a novel with a stronger sense of history

A Canadian bestseller of local interest yet truly international appeal, this novel is a highly recommended exploration of the pain of exile , the strength of family , and the inescapable nature of the past.

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

THE SANDS OF SAKKARA

Glenn Meade , St. Martin ' s , 2000 , $6 99 , pb , 548pp, ISBN 0-312-97108-7

One of the possible turning points of World War II looking back on it, it could easily have gone the other way came in November 1943, as Roosevelt and Churchill met in Cairo to discuss, among other matters, the impending Allied invasion of Europe. And Roosevelt was the linchpin that held the Allies together. What if, Meade speculates , Hitler and his crew knew about this meeting and began making plans to is it very far too fanciful? assassinate the President.

Drawn into the affair are two men, close friends , and the girl they both love , in totally comradely fashion The summer of 1939, which they spent together on an archaeological dig in Egypt , was a joyous , wonderful interlude, beautifully evoked as a special time and place in all three of their lives

Then comes the war. Rachel Stem, half-Jewish, is captured by the Nazis Jack Halder, half-German, becomes an agent for the Abwehr, Germany's military intelligence. And Harry Weaver is his counterpoint on the other side, working dutifully for the American effort and back in Cairo.

The plot is in motion. Lots of painstaking detail. Fascinating and yet with surprisingly little suspense , perhaps because we know the plot did not succeed It's only on the personal level , once the paths of the three young people cross once again, that the book grasps the reader again and is not so easily put down. Everything else is history , and it fades into the background The people living it are what makes it come alive and on that basis , nicely done

Steve Lewis

THE DARK SIDE OF THE SUN

Elizabeth Palmer, St. Martin·s, 2000 , $23 95 , hb , 312pp , ISBN 0-312-26141-1

In 1928 Sybil Fox and her daughter Mary come to live at Harding Hall , where Sybil is hired as governess to the four Harding children The daughter, Nettie, is 11 years old , the same age as Mary , and growing up together, they become close While Mary is quiet and studious , Nettie is interested in men and wants to escape her overbearing father . Mary falls in love with Godfrey , the eldest Harding son , distant and dreamy Sybil , missing nothing, thinks William, a younger son, is smitten with Mary Sybil knows it is impossible, but she ' d like to see Mary make a match in this wealthy family It comes as quite a shock , then, when Sybil is no longer needed as governess and they must leave Harding Hall.

On the eve of the war Mary and Sybil are in London Nettie is also in London, living with an elderly aunt. Her father doesn't trust her, as he knows of an early indiscretion at fifteen It is hopeless , but Mary still has feelings for Godfrey Nettie , meanwhile, plots to get free of her aunt and become independent. She decides that the only way to do this is to get married!

We see London in the blitz, and relive the fearlessness of the ambulance drivers and firefighters as they try to save the lives of those trapped in and under the ruined buildings The writer has painted a vivid picture of the hardship of daily life , rationing , difficulty of travel around the city , the daily fears and frustrations.

This book is about change - changes wrought by the war and its aftermath. From the important families in their big houses to the everyday people in their tiny flats and their ordinary jobs , nothing would ever be the same The Harding family and Mary and Sybil (whose !i, es all continue to be intertwined) undergo many changes as the war changes the face of society

There are many plot lines to tie together in this book, and the author does an excellent job of keeping it all on track. There is a major coincidence that occurs towards the end of the book, but the storyline is so compelling that it's easily overlooked. It is fast paced, well plotted and with likeable characters. It is fascinating to read about this time , not so long ago in history , and about the sacrifices made by ordinary people : how difficult life was in Britain during the war , with the possibility of invasion ever present. For a short while the writer helped me to see it through the eyes of those living it at the time She tells a good story.

Lorraine Gelly

DAY OF THE BEES

Thom~s Sanchez, ~--.opf, 2000 , $24 00 , hb, 305pp, ISBN 0-375-40162-8 Zennano , the Spanish painter who depicted the horror of modem war, not in ' Guernica ' but in ' Archangel Gabriel Flames DO'\,m the Sky and his muse, Louise, the model for 200 paintings are the lovers in Day of th e Be es.

The present-day narrator finds letters in the false bottoms of knitting baskets and pieces together an epistolary dialog written during \,\' Wil.

' Every man has within him an ancient blood feud that drums in his ears , that makes him want to tear off his mask of civility and just take what he wants--not work for it, nor earn it , just take it and kill any other man that stands in his way, writes Zermano, crystallizing the theme of war without naming countries or causes

Zermano has left Louise , and she hides from the world in a Provence village She receives his letters from creepy French postal official Royer,who demands favors in exchange

On one level , Day of the Bees works as a spy novel. In the chapter that starts out , ' Lucretia ?', Louise becomes an agent for the unnamed Resistance . Present tense , suspenseful, Kafkaesque , it gives a vivid description of wartime Nice . In the political intrigue of Vichy France, she can't trust anyone Sanchez writes with a European sensibility and an irnagistic style The central symbol is that of a woman covered wi th bees . The Beekeeper called down the swarm to protect her from a rapacious foe. He nurtures her with the products of the earth

The voice of Zermano is that of an artist, exalted with manic flights That of Louise is do,m to earth, practical She never mailed her letters because "With my cruel silence, I hope to kill your love for me "

' The Officer,' a military sadist not identified as German, personifies the worst in an enemy soldier. Louise falls under his power , and fate spares her nothing . Sanchez admires Velazquez because he ' smashed the frame between art and life ' in his painting ' The Maids of Honor .' A copy of this painting answers the central mystery of the novel : why did Zermano leave Louise ? Sanchez understands art and the artist whose muse has escaped the frame For better or worse , she's a real woman

Marcia

THE SUMMER OF '39

K. Matthews

Miranda Seymour, WW Norton, 1999 , $23.95 , hb , 230 pp , ISBN 0393048063

SC)-mour has effectively used the first person narrative voice to write a compelling novel

about a woman's downward spiral into self-delusion and madness

Originally published in England under the title Th e Telling , Seymour has written a complex story in which the reader realizes that the ' truth ' behind Nancy Brewster's life may never be fully revealed. The story is based upon actual events that occurred in the lives of Robert Graves and Laura Riding but even v.ithout this knowledge, the tale fascinates

In her old age , Nancy decides to write about the events leading up to her fifteen- year incarceration in a hospital for the insane forty years previously. It is gradually borne upon the reader, but never to Nancy , that because she cannot, or wi ll not, deal with certain truths she will always see herself as an innocent victim rather than as a person who suffered from mental illness . While an incestuous incident in her youth has something to do with Nancy's reactions to life, it becomes apparent that she has consistently maintained a kind of tunnel vision which refuses to acknowledge any part of reality which she does not wish to see It is particularly painful to observe how her refusal to accept help of any kind destroys her marriage and her relationship with her only surviving child

Seymour has done an excellent job in describing the times from 1900 to 1939 the excitement of pre-war New York, married life in Greenwich Village in the 1920s, and Nancy's struggles to help her family to survive economically during the Depression While Seymour lets us know from the beginning what will happen in the Summer of 1939 , it is still shocking to realize the extent of Nancy's illness.

This is a wonderfully told story compelling, complex and memorable

Kathleen Sullivan

GARDENS IN THE DUNES

Leslie Marmon Silko, Scribner, 2000 (he 1999) , $14, trade pb , 477pp, ISBN 0-684-86332-4

In Gardens In The Dunes , Leslie Marmon Silko writes about Indigo , a child of the Sand Lizard people , a tribe on the brink of extinction in tum-of-the-century California . Deftly using the voice of this precocious young girl, Silko herself of Pueblo Indian descent - tells the tale of the terrible fate of the Native American people at this juncture in us history

After the death of Indigo ' s grandmother, Indigo and her sister leave their safe garden in the dunes in search of their mother. Once in town they are picked up by Indian police and separated Indigo soon escapes Hungry and in need of help , she is taken in by a Victorian couple en route to Europe. Before Indigo can find her way back to her family , she becomes

the couple's ward on a tour of the elaborate gardens of New York, England, and Italy Through the eyes of Indigo , Indigo ' s sister, and Indigo ' s white guardians , we come to learn that the clash of the white and the Indian cultures is a clash of peoples with completely different views of how to relate to nature and the universe

Make no mistake - this is a literary historical novel. As such, it wrestles with enormous themes Silko ' s faithful rendering of the voice of a young girl does manage to muffle the contentious nature of the feminist , ethnic and environmental issues , but even this sympathetic reader thought the Political Correctness Meter edged more than once into the red zone

This doesn ' t detract from Silko ' s lyrical writing, the depth of her female characters, or the sweeping range of her thematic explorations Living for a short while in the head of charming little Indigo -•a phenomenal creation is well worth the effort.

Lisa Ann Verge

JUNE

Mary Sanders Smith, Lintel , 2000 , $16 , trade pb , 3 l 7pp , ISBN 0-931642-29-9

June is set in the rural community of Ashton, Illinois , during 1940 The novel depicts life in a fanning community as well as the underlying tensions prompted by the Presidential campaign between Republican Wendell Wilkie and Democrat Franklin D Roosevelt. However, the strength of the book is in the development of the title character, June Ventler, who appears to be the typical former ' s wife, doing endless chores and raising chickens for egg money , but is set apart from her community. June , at age 38 , has no children and is defined by her childless state; she is also different because of her enthusiasm and developing talent in the design of homes , which she keeps secret for fear of ridicule

June ' s life changes when Mac , the newly hired hand, arrives Easygoing and talkative , unlike June ' s taciturn husband Ed, Mac serves as a catalyst for June to realize her dreams and change her life Of contrasting interest in the novel are the details of women ' s daily life on a farm and the background material on the life and principles of design of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. June discovers that Wright's ideas articulate her own concept of what a home should be : an integration of the man-made world into the natural world A trip away from home provides June with insight into people she thought she knew , and the development of a stronger sense of self contributes to her awakening.

Marcia Dinneen

MURDER ON ST. MARK'S PLACE

Victoria Thompson, Berkley, 2000, $5 99 , pb , 288pp, ISBN 0425173615

This novel is Victoria Thompson's second book in the Gaslight Mystery series Her midwife detective Sarah Brandt once again teams up with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to solve a case The sister of one of Sarah's clients has been murdered, and the grieving woman begs Sarah to find the killer. Reluctant at first, Frank Malloy finds himself drawn to the case as similar murders in the recent past come to light. From the sleazy dance halls of the heart of New York City to the gaiety and hustle of Coney Island, Sarah and Frank trace the killer ' s path

This book has much to recommend it. The characters and setting are wonderful. New York in the grips of a summer heat wave shiminers off the pages, and you can almost smell the sea air at Coney Island .

The main plot and pace keep the pages turning , however I admit to having figured out much of the mystery about halfway through Thompson does , however, throw in a clever twist near the end

Overall this historical mystery is a good and often compelling novel which offers the reader a glimpse of the seedier side of life in early 20th century New York

Teresa

&kford

ALTAR MUSIC

Christin Lore Weber, Scribner, 2000 , $23 , hb, 251 pp , ISBN 0-684-86866-0

Three twentieth-century women experience crises of religious faith in this lyrical first novel , set in rural northern Minnesota between 1917 and 1965 . For Megan and her daughter Kate , the Catholic doctrine as taught to them by the local priest challenges the sexual life of their marriages For Kate's daughter Elise, a budding classical pianist, her musical talent is seen as both a gift from God and a distraction from her chosen life as a nun. In all three cases, while certain (one may say the most vital) parts of these women's lives are deliberately repressed, they cannot wholly be denied without consequence

The book ' s overall theme may well be autobiographical , as the author is herself a former nun. Though she no doubt knows the subject of which she writes , the continual examples of Catholicism ' s repression of female sexuality and identity quickly grow wearisome . The novel's overall tone is of quiet melancholy, with occasional , too-rare hints of the beauty that lies hidden underneath

There is much to praise in Altar Music : the author has a poetic touch with language, particularly in scenes describing the natural beauty of the area Most characters, though, are rather joyless , and upon finishing this

novel I felt as if I'd just come out from under a cloud of gloom. Both recovering Catholics and those who prefer introspective novels will likely have a greater appreciation for this book than I did.

Sarah L. Nesbeitl

A RECKONING OF ANGELS

Stuart James Whitley , Great Plains Publications (available via www greatplains mb.ca) , 2000 , CA$19.95 , trade pb, 297pp , ISBN : 1-894283-06-6

The Canadian novel is a closed book to most Yankees , once one gets past Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Robertson Davies, or Farley Mowat. This makes a historical novel set mainly in Canada Western Canada in the late 19th and early 20th century a matter both of some interested curiosity, and of much ignorance Whitley brings a young Ukrainian, Jan Dalmynyshyn, to Manitoba from Ukraine by way of the horrible crude-oil pits of Boryslav (low pay , serious risks) to the Pennsylvania coalfields (better pay, deadlier risks) . His other main character, Byron Bloode, is a privileged Anglo-Canadian youth, a weak and complicated type, an unlucky aesthete and reluctant businessman. Dalmynyshyn stakes and farms a land-claim but is forced to flee to the Klondyke gold-rush country; Bloode has to go off to the Boer War, shows the white feather , and barely escapes a firing squad on a charge of ' treasonous conversation .' The paths of the two men cross in prewar and wartime Manitoba , and the novel's culmination comes in the ferocious labor unrest of 1919 This is , in fact , a saga , or at least a semi-saga, and is not more upbeat about the human condition than the original Norse sagas typically are.

The style is stately verging on ponderous , with occasional flashes of unforced poetry and a good psychological 'edge.' The characters are fully fleshed out, and Whitley is not sentimental , though the self-conscious philosophizing of Jan the Ukrainian sometimes comes close to caricature, and the bloodless young Bloode is no real foil to the Ukrainian peasant and artisan The author builds his historical texture by strict if not obsessive attention to detail , and he rarely overloads his text (providing instant translation of Ukrainian and Polish words and phrases is awJ.....ward, but probably necessary) The over-theme of the 'reckoning of angels' is so faint as to be almost invisible, but Whitley presents certain solid strengths as a storyteller, and as a careful (ifnot overly imaginative) one as well

In the end, the book has less of a Canadian (or North American) feel than a European -· even an Eastern European flavor, which may or may not be the author's purpose: And

though the book's intent or target is sometimes a puzzle , and open and easy transitions are followed by dense and impacted text Whitley , a legal official by trade , is no master of fiction yet this is a frequently impressive first novel , and one that opens up , usually successfully, an original vista to an unfamiliar but eventually resonant and thoroughly evoked past.

Dean Miller

HAWKE'S COVE

Susan Wilson, Pocket , 2000 , $23 .95 , hb , 282pp, ISBN 0-671-03573-8

Forbidden love that is forever young , wartime romance granted by a passion of place, redeems lovers from sin. After a prologue and framing chapters , Hawke's Cove settles into a first person, present-tense journal set on a Massachusetts cape in 1944 Vangie , a poet and teacher, has gone from Boston to her grandmother's farmhouse in a summer resort to seek solitude after losing a baby , but she's lonely Her husband John is stationed in England with the Army .

A Hellcat plane is reported down . Vangie sees a man in the woods wearing a plaid shirt like John's. Finding her sleeping on the beach, he warns her to get out of the sun He calls himself Joe Green She hires him to roof the barn and fence the garden, and gives him a room off the kitchen She confides to her journal , ' I know that John will have a problem with this .'

After Labor Day ends the summer , their isolation intensifies

Despite her spare prose , author Susan Wilson captures the sensibility of the ' Greatest Generation.' The novel harks back to a time when people did the honorable thing , or if they couldn't , they paid for it. The language is accessible prose, the tone, longing Where Joe's touch electrified her, John's is mechanical. The title refers to a Hawke , old English for a bird such as the osprey , who plays house with his mate for a year before settling down

The flashback is the heart of the book , a watercolor in an elaborate frame . We then fast-forward to 1993 as Vangie rereads Joe's letters The plane is salvaged. Wilson has a gift for sensual description : 'The hulk stank with accumulated seaweed, smelling like maximum low tide .'

When we get Joe Green's viewpoint , anticipation mounts Joe's narrative has a cubist feel. We see all angles , outside and in, in present tense. The clock on the town hall stands still Joe's daughter Maggie loves Vangie's poetry and quotes from ' Hawke's Cove Remembered ' :

-Mystical night of sand and sky speak to my heart of the passion of place .

Maggie interprets it as ' that passionate plane where physical and emotional love exist. ' I would say instead, ' intersect. '

The theme is that every woman needs a Joe Green

Marcia K. Matthews

US: MULTI-PERIOD

THE SUMMONING GOD

Kathleen O ' Neal Gear and W Michael Gear, Forge, 2000 , $25 .95 , hb , 366pp , ISBN 0312865325

The Gears are well known for their award-winning novels about Native Americans and in their latest series have turned their attention to the Anasazi

In the present day archaeologists are endeavouring to piece together a picture from what they find on the site It is a grim find indeed, for the evidence suggests that a large group of children and adults were burned alive in their kiva (ceremonial chamber) as well as hints of cannibalism and torture

Meanwhile back in the 13th century it is a dark time for the Anasazi who are in the middle of a religious war . There is a serial killer on the loose and his (or is it a woman?) victims don ' t die quickly or easily War Chief Browser and his associate, Catkin are on the trail of a legendary witch called Two Hearts who is leaving a long trail of torture-murders behind him Time is running out, and every day more people are falling victim

I have long been a fan of the Gears ' novels , and this one was received with great eagerness They successfully conjure up a time when people didn ' t know whether they would survive to see another sunrise or whether they would fall victim to religious differences , slavery, starvation and even cannibalism . The characters of Long Tail Village seem to fall into two groups - very good folk who you would gladly have as neighbors and black-hearted villains without a lot of shading in between The present-day archaeologists are the usual type of investigators with turbulent pasts who are striking sparks off each other as they dig and delve

This digging and delving would have had a lot more impact if the book had started and finished with it instead of stopping what is a very exciting (even if it could stand some editing) whodunit every other chapter. At times it is rather akin to flipping backwards and forwards between Millennium and Time Team - (Editor ·s note: A popular UK TV programme about archeology) an uneasy combination that makes the story lose momentum .

I would warn potential readers that it is very much a sequel to The Visitant , the first

book in the series, and also that it is certainly not for the squeamish

What does shine through is the tremendous love and respect the Gears have for the Native American people : past, present and future It is this that redeems its faults , carries it along and makes it memorable. Yes , it is politically correct, but in a genuine way rather than something painted on afterwards to make it acceptable. All in all , a mixed bag but plenty in it to interest and absorb - not forgetting the exhaustive section at the end of books on the Anasazi

Rachel A Hy de

MORE THAN YOU KNOW

Beth Gutcheon, Morrow, 2000, $24 , hb , 269pp , ISBN 0-688-17403-5

Two stories, both set in the small coastal town of Dundee, Maine , fifty years apart , converge in this enthralling novel. In the present day , an elderly woman returns to Dundee to tell the story of the Depression-era summer when her life turned upside down

When she is seventeen, Hannah Gray and her family rent a summer cottage in Dundee. Little does she know that the house where they ' re staying was once a schoolhouse on now-uninhabited Beal Island, the scene of a Lizzie Borden-style axe murder years before Only she and Conary Crocker, the town rebel with whom she falls in love, ever see the ghost - a malevolent old woman with burning eyeswho haunts both Hannah ' s home and its former location on the island.

In 1858 , in a parallel tale, gentle , quiet Claris Osgood marries taciturn Danial Haskell , a Beal Island resident, despite her parents ' disapproval They fear he ' ll eventually harden into his family ' s deep-rooted strict Baptist beliefs - and too soon, they ' re proven right. As the years pass , the repressed anger in the Haskell household reaches a breaking point with Danial ' s murder But who among three women is the evil ghost who terrorizes both Hannah and Conary? Which of them is Danial's killer? All have motives: wife Claris , who hates the life she ' s now living ; daughter Sallie, forbidden by her father from seeing her boyfriend ; and their boarder, schoolteacher Mercy Chatto, who has her own reasons for hating Danial The fact that she wasn ' t able to discover the answer to these questions in time is what haunts Hannah to this day

Author Gutcheon is adept at making all her characters seem real ; she demonstrates her ability to recreate both the joy of true love and the power of evil , at times only moments apart . Few writers can write with such sustained intensity Be prepared to stay up late with this one!

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

BREATH AND SHADOWS

Ella Leffiand , Ballantine, 2000, $14 , trade pb , 311 pp , ISBN 0-345-43923-6

Three generations of the Rosteds , a Danish family , come to life in sparkling snapshots in Breath and Shadows We read, in alternating segments, about the foul tempered dwarf Thorkild in the early nineteenth century; the enchanting but haunted Grethc , Thorkild ' s great-granddaughter, in Copenhagen in the 1880s; and the rather dull Chicagoans Paula and Phillip , Grethe ' s grandchildren, in 1989

While this description gives us the bare bones of the characters and their relationships , you must read the book to find the connections between generations Unfortunately , connections are few and far between. Set in three different time periods roughly I 00 years apart , there is no sense of story besides a few tenuous threads between the generations ; a mysterious needlepoint rug, a cryptic saying, a silhouette portrait, and insanity . •

The story is not easy to follow. The author throws the readers off balance with sudden tense changes , keeps them guessing which time period they will read about next, and throws in poetic descriptions of a cave in France as if this is the true connection between the generations . Breath and Shadows is not truly a historical novel. Historical events are only mentioned as background to the events in the book. ' Family saga ' does not quite fit, either, as the book only looks at a few significant events in the lives of three non-connected generations of the famil y.

In the book ' s favor , the writing is a pleasure to read in most places . ' Haunting ' is the word used by most reviewers , and the work does have a kind of ethereal and lyrical quality to it. The author has managed to capture a certain flavor of each time period (is that why the more modern characters feel so dull ?). The author also tries to give the reader a taste of madness , a central theme of the book. Breath and Shadows is a quiet book in which the actual writing is more enchanting than the story, and one that moves from disturbing to downright gloomy.

Alexandra Cee ly

IN BABYLON

Marcel Moring , trans by Stacey Knecht , William Morrow , 2000, $24 00 , hb , 417pp , ISBN 0-688-17645-3

It ' s easy to see why In Babylon already has been lauded by European critics and has garnered numerous awards on that side of the Atlantic This book has many of the elements of a family saga, yet to call it by that term would be a tragic dismissal of this major literary work

Jewish writer Nathan Hollander has lived a transient existence most of his life Then his

erudite uncle , a sociologist and philosopher , dies , leaving his house to Nathan There is a requirement to be fullilled before Nathan can claim the closest thing to a home he has ever known He must write his uncle's biography Thus , at age sixty, he returns to the big, old house where so many of his cherished memories dwell, bringing with him his thirty-year-old niece and agent, Nina . The last two surviving members of the Hollander family, Nathan and Nina arrive at the isolated residence in the midst of a fierce winter storm. They soon find themselves snowed in The pair are surprised to find that , despite the house having been unoccupied for some time, the larder is newly stocked with every provision they could possibly need for an extended stay The only thing missing is the firewood that should have been stacked outside. Curiouser still is the amazing agglomeration of furniture piled precariously on the stairway and second floor landing. Forced to burn priceless antiques in order to survive, Nathan and Nina soon discover that this mOlllltain of furniture is actually an elaborate booby trap. Someone has been in the house very recently. But who?

To relieve the strain of their confinement, Nathan shares the story of his uncle's life. He begins at what to him is the logical placewith Chaim and Magnus, two seventeenth-century ancestors who have been appearing to Nathan as ghosts since he was ten years old. Nina learns the fascinating history of a family that is at home everywhere, and nowhere - a family which may well end with herself and Nathan Sweeping yet profoundly intimate, In Babylon shows us a man searching for a home near the end of a wandering life, a woman searching for her place in a family she scarcely knows, and two people struggling to survive against the whims of nature and an unseen human enemy. Marcel Moring renders this powerful story with striking originality and a deft intricacy of plot.

Kelly Cannon

CRIME THROUGH TIME III

Edited by Sharan Newman, Berkley Crime, 2000, $6 .50 (£4.20 Amazon co uk), pb, 352pp, ISBN 0-425-17509-X

Prime from

The eighteen stories in this volume take us from ancient Rome to 20th century America . English and US settings predominate, though there are forays into Ireland, Scotland, Asia Minor and Italy. We meet familiar characters , such as Leonard Tourney's Matthew and Joan Stock, Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder, and Bruce Alexander ' s Sir John Fielding and Jeremy Proctor. Other well-known mystery authors have written created characters outside

their historical series , including Sharyn McCrumb, Maureen Jennings, Peter Lovesey, and Miriam Grace Monfredo Stories from authors better known for their fantasy and science fiction writings-Harry Turtledove , Michael Coney, Eileen Kemaghan, and the versatile William Sanders-mingle with those by noted mystery writers Jan Burke, HRF Keating, and Peter Robinson. While I enjoyed virtually all the stories , the highlights for me were McCrumb 's haunting ' Lark in the Morning, ' based on an old ballad and set in medieval England ; Coney ' s ' Suspicion,' which takes place during the Clearances in Scotland; Lovesey's ' Dr Death,' set in England in 1873 , and appropriately characterized by its author as 'Grand Guignol'; and Kemaghan's 'Dinner with H.P.B .,' referring to Madame Helena Blavatsky.

I expect this volume contains something for everyone who enjoys historical mysteries, and it is a wonderful introduction to the genre for those approaching it for the first time.

Trudi

Jacobson

THE FOREST

Edward Rutherford, Crown (Random House), 2000, $26.95, hb, 598 pp, ISBN 0609603825

For review, see UK section.

THE KINGSLEY HOUSE

Arliss Ryan, St. Martin's, Apr 2000, $25 .95,hb, 420pp , ISBN 0-312-24209-3 I've always had a soft spot for multi-generational sagas, although The Kingsley House is much more than this simple word can describe. Using the occupants of a longtime family residence in Livonia, Michigan, as its focal point, it also recounts 150 years in the life of small town midwestern America.

In 1843, Nathan Kingsley, the author's third great-grandfather, lovingly builds a home from the ground up for his future wife Mary. More a pioneer settlement than a town, Livonia slowly grows over the years to become first a burgeoning suburb of Detroit, and eventually a small city in its own right. Though the house focuses the story , however, it's the characters and their stories which make it memorable . Nathan and Mary survive their first venture as unsuspecting abolitionists along the Underground Railroad, their granddaughter Gertrude overcomes early tragedy to live on as the family matriarch, and in 1977 her granddaughter Laura saves the house from demolition by having it physically moved to a historic preservation site, where it can be visited today .

The author, Laura 's daughter, has created in The Kingsley House an unforgettable portrait of her own family, complete with genealogical notes (I would have loved to have seen some photos) All family members are true-to-life individuals, with plenty of flaws and foibles , and as with every family, there 's the occasional black sheep. It's remarkable that in a tale of over 400 pages , the story never drags : the action-filled storyline and the personalities of the characters keep it alive I enjoyed every minute

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

US:FANTASY

THE MERLIN OF ST. GILLES WELL (Joan of Arc Tapestries, Book I) Ann Chamberlin, Tor, 1999, $23 95 , hb , 320pp, ISBN 03128655 I I

In the early l400 ' s , Jean le Drapier, a maimed Breton seer, awaits the birth of La Pucinelle, the girl he has seen in his visions who he believes will liberate France. Le Drapier's best friend as he grows up is Gilles de Rais , the person who will one day fight heroically next to Joan of Arc and later be known as Bluebeard, committing unspeakable crimes. Although his is outwardly Christian, Le Drapier is being immersed by his mentors in the ' old religion, ' a form of Celtic paganism where his connections to nature and to the universe form the very foundation of his existence. In that Celtic religion and lore are elements of the Arthurian legend hence, the references to Merlin, who was to have prophesied the birth of Joan of Arc Chamberlin, a respected historical novelist , deftly crafts a story which combines elements of fantasy and of historical fiction Through Le Drapier, a fascinating and complex character, we can almost sense Joan of Arc as a flower about to bloom, a savior about to be born into the world. While instilling the story with fantastical elements, Chamberlin is careful not to let us forget that we are reading about France in the throes of political turmoil , a country whose people desperately need a unifying force Clearly , Chamberlin has done her homework about Breton daily life, which is vividly depicted, and the historical characters of De Rais and others are impeccably researched What is a bit unclear is to what extent the ' old religion ' was generally being practiced by the people and whether that was a source of conflict with the Christian church Chamberlin makes us feel as if we have been pennitted to be present at the creation of one of the most powerful legends in history . Indeed, by ending the first book as Chamberlin has anticipating Joan ' s birth

into an obscure family in an obscure village wc arc left breathlessly awaiting the next installment of Joan ' s story . This is a wonderful book by a talented writer Highly recommended . Ily sa Magnus

PERCIVAL AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Jim Hunter , Green Knight , 1997, $I0 95 , trade pb , J68pp , ISBN l-56882-097-6

This is the first novel reprinted in the Pendragon Fiction line Originall y published in England in I 978 , the novel is an exploration of the motivation and desires of Percival , a young warrior brought up in the Arthurian code who seeks both Arthur and the Holy Grail as well as an understanding of God ' s purpose .

This version is freely adapted using elements from both the Mallory and Troyes versions of the tale It begins with a grittily realistic battle scene, as Percival fights with Whiteflower ' s men to free her castle from siege by bandits Whiteflower ' s seduction of Percival is grounded not in magic but in the realistic portrayal of a young man recentl y blooded in battle and the widowed Whiteflower ' s need for a protector Their liaison flowers into true love over the course of a winter, but Percival's compulsion to find Arthur and to discover a deeper purpose to life drives him from her side. He is also influenced in all things by the example of his tutor, the warrior Brund, who had schooled him in Arthur ' s code .

Frequent flashbacks to his training with Brund (and the warrior ' s ignominious death) pepper the story, providing a richness and depth to Percival ' s motivations and actions Aft.er leaving Whiteflower, his travels bring him to the hall of the Fisher-Lord, where he witnesses the procession of the Grail. Remaining silent, he fails to end the suffering of the Fisher-Lord and to bring the Grail into the world, and this failure drives him henceforth. He searches fruitlessl y for Arthur only to be disappointed time and again At the end of the story, he remarks r no longer believe in Arthur, it being all I can manage to believe in God .' As the title might suggest, there is a strong preoccupation with moral questions (the novel is referred to by the editor as the only Arthurian Christian existential novel ever written) The lone , however, is not heavy but reflective , examining the questions of love , loss and faith

Trac ey A Calli son

THE BLACK CHALICE

Marie Jakober, Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy

(Canada,http://www.edgewebsite com) , 2000 , $23 95 (CA$35 95 ) hb , 460 pp , ISBN l-894063-00- 7

Paul von Arduin, now a monk, is compelled by sorcery to write the truth of his adventures with his former master, Karelian Brandeis In Paul ' s story, Karelian , the youngest son of a German nobleman, has just returned victorious from the Crusades Karelian insists on passing through the forest of Helmardin en route to his wedding, despite warnings from his comrades that sorcery awaits there. In fact, an enchanted, pagan castle lies within, and its owner, a beautiful half-human, half-veela female named Raven, has deliberately lured Karelian there. Karelian, whose sexual attraction to Raven cannot be denied, must decide between Raven and his vows to his feudal lord. His choice eventually embroils him, Raven, his overlord, and all of Germany into near civil war.

The novel jumps occasionally between Paul ' s recollections and his current monastic life Though these transitions are handled well, it jars when the novel leaves the point of view of the supposed narrator to recount events and secret conversations where he was not present. The author has deliberately chosen an imagined setting within a specific tirneframe of medieval Germany , but populated it entirely with fictional charactersfrom Karelian and Paul to the Holy Roman Emperor himself, here named ' Ehrenfried.' This left me with an unsettled feeling Paul, also , is a rather weasel-like character, accomplishing mostly trouble , and never sure of his own loyalties In my opinion, the novel could have been better grounded in either history or fantasy if either true historical events were more central to the story, or if the novel were set in a medieval-style world similar to , but not quite, our own Overall , an entertaining tale with a number of distracting elements

Sarah L. N es beitt

DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST: Book

One of the Seven-waters Trilogy

Juliet Marillier, Tor, 2000 , $25 95 , hb , 400pp, ISBN 0-312-84879-X

For review , see UK section

THE STARS COMPEL

Michaela Roessner, Tor, 1999 (pb 2000), $25 .95, hb ($6 99pb) , 432pp , ISBN 0-312-85755-l

In this sequel to The Stars Dispose , Roessner continues retelling the life of Catherine de Medici in a story whose characters and prose

are sumptuously detailed The story is viewed primarily through the eyes of Tornrnaso Arista, a young chef and artist who becomes a member of Caterina's staff after she is recalled to Rome by her uncle and guardian, Pope Clement. Clement has his own designs for the young heiress regarding the de Medici fortune and titles , which involve a betrothal to France as part of his treaty Caterina is not so easily used , however, and she fights with all of the political savvy and connections in her power to choose her own destiny Joining her struggle is Tommaso, who through his connections to the art world and his position as her personal chef serves as her eyes and ears in Rome

lfthis sounds dry, believe that it is not , for Roessner truly brings Renaissance Rome and Florence to life with rich historical detail . Tommaso's calling provides the opportunity for lush descriptions of period cookery (including the workings of a professional kitchen) and art, while Caterina's connections with the occult place her struggles on a grander scale Connections with the past are explored as Tornrnaso learns about his family's secrets, but the theme of breaking with the past in order to face the future is a strong one in this novel as Caterina's fate moves inexorably towards her.

Tracey

A Callison

US: NONFICTION

THE ENGLISH OVIL WAR AND THE RESTORATION IN FICTION: An Annotated Bibliography, 1625-1999

Roxane C. Murph, Greenwood, 2000, $85 , hb , 349pp, ISBN 0-313-31425-X

Freelance researcher Murph presents a descriptive list of fictional works set between the beginning of Charles I's reign (I 625) and the death of Charles II ( 1685) In all , annotations are provided for 509 works of verse , 821 novels and short story collections, and 936 plays A comprehensive index completes the volume

Regarding historical novels , this volume is not nearly as comprehensive as Murph ' s earlier compilation, The Wars of the Roses in Fiction : An Annotated Bibliography, 1440-1994 (Greenwood, 1995) Surprisingly lacking are Sara George ' s recent The Journal of Mrs Pepys, SteJla Riley ' s Civil War saga, Garland of Straw , and Catherine Darby ' s King 's Falcon , to name just a few . Author, title, publisher, date, and pages are provided for each work, along with a Jong abstract.

The annotations are well written and suitably lengthy; it's a pleasant surprise to learn that Murph has read all the works she lists. Complete plot summaries and spoilers

render this work more a scholarly compilation than a readers · advisory source Most descriptions include critical comment , and Murph never shrinks from expressing her own opinion of a work. Authors and readers of historical romance should be warned of the author ' s contempt for this genre : one novel is described as ' standard historical romance fare : hackneyed plot , cardboard characters , and uninspired v,riting .' As many romances are included in this book, such descriptions quickly grow tiresome , and most readers will find themselves disagreeing with Murph on many occasions

In all , while the author knows her history and has clearly done her research, she ignores and indeed often denigrates the appeal that many of these novels have for their readers

That aside , this book is perhaps the best single source for information on novels of the early Stuart era . Books rarely included in library catalogues , such as paperbacks and those included without detailed subject classification, such as UK-published novels-are finally described in full here

An essential reference for completists and indeed for anyone seeking a novel set during the English Civil War or Restoration , if the annotations are taken with a slight grain of salt.

Sarah L. Nesbeitt

The illustrations on the front and back covers are from The Keys of Egypt - The Race to Read the Heiroglyphs by Lesley and Roy Adkins, published by Harper Collins It will be reviewed in Issue 14

Also in Issue 14 :

Spotlight on Tor Books

One author ' s struggle to get her historical novel published

Naorni Mitchison : a retrospect

And, of course , more reviews

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