REVIEWS ONLINE EXCLUSIVES Due to an ever-increasing number of books for review and space constraints within HNR, some selected fiction reviews and all nonfiction reviews are now published as online exclusives. To view these reviews and much more, please visit www.historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Thank you for the opportunity to challenge the review of Prisoner from Penang in the last issue (HNR 93). All reviews are subjective, and I’ve never ever made a complaint anywhere before. My rationale now is that the review is misleading about the nature of the book and trivialises the experiences of women POWs. Described as “a chatty historical romance” by the reviewer, it’s not a romance and has never been classified as such. Currently it’s listed by the leading retailer under Historical Asian fiction, Historical Japanese fiction, Military Historical fiction and British and Irish Historical Literature. Eighty percent of the book has no men at all, other than Japanese prison guards whose relationship with the women is anything but romantic. It would be more accurately described as being about female friendship. I am at a loss as to why he’d describe a book about torture, starvation, beating, lack of medication, rape and savage treatment of women (drawing on real life testimonies) as “a pleasant afternoon’s read” and “chatty”. Other reviewers have described it in terms such as “harrowing”. I’d expected higher standards of the HNS. Clare Flynn
As a reviewer, I liked Prisoner from Penang but I did not find it particularly engaging or deep, hence my description of it as “a pleasant afternoon’s read.” I thought other readers might enjoy the book, but I wanted to signal them not to expect War and Peace. The writer’s complaint about my calling it a “chatty historical romance” is likely centered on my use of the word “chatty”. The word “romance” can be used either to describe an adventure story, as in the novels of Sir Walter Scott, or in the Harlequin sense as a love story with a happy ending. This book is an adventure story. It might also be called a romance in the sense that the heroine loses two boyfriends early on, and the book ends with a traditional love story ending. I used the word “chatty” because the book’s tone struck me as loose and conversational, almost like a diary. Perhaps my choice of words 16
was inept. I do not intend to trivialize abuse or torture. I would advise interested readers to sample Prisoner from Penang and judge for themselves. David Drum
ANCIENT EGYPT
PHARAOH’S SHADOW
Tasha Madison, Author Academy Elite, 2020, $14.99, pb, 307pp, 9781647462420
In 2012, an investigation led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, discovered that the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses III (r. 1187/61155/4 BCE) showed signs that his throat had been slit. Before then, it had been debated whether this warrior king had actually been killed in the so-called harem conspiracy. Madison imagines the plotting behind the assassination, led here by Queen Teye, one of Pharaoh’s three wives, who hopes to put her weak son Pentawere on the throne. The chapters, all told from a different point of view, begin with the princess Duatentopet’s premonitions of danger while Pharaoh smugly surveys his domain. Some chapters show how key figures are drawn into the plot, including military commander Peyes, high priest Huy, physician Iroi, and the court magician Perekamenef. Others touch on the external events destabilizing Ramesses III’s reign, from the invasion of the Sea Peoples to the riots by workmen deprived of rations. Together, the varied perspectives provide a fascinating crosssection of Egyptian life during this fabled time. Though in some places the prose is as stiff and ornamented as a tomb painting—and Queen Teye in particular never develops more than one dimension—the book is for the most part engagingly fluid and readable, with lively dialogue. Its most alluring aspects are the vivid picture it builds of daily, material life in the New Kingdom and its understanding of the invisible world that surrounded and structured Egyptian life, a culture with an advanced grasp of medicine, a firm belief in magic, and an utterly unique spiritual paradigm. Madison, whose debut novel was the YA time-travel fantasy Fabric of a Generation, proves an author of far-ranging interests and depth. Misty Urban
1ST CENTURY
DAUGHTER OF BLACK LAKE
Cathy Marie Buchanan, Riverhead, 2020, $28.99, hb, 320pp, 9780735216167
Britain, first century AD. Hobble lives in a secluded community. Years ago, her grandfather and uncles went off to battle the invading Romans, and they never returned. So when a druid priest arrives stirring up ideas of
REVIEWS | Issue 94, November 2020
rebellion, Hobble’s family lives in fear. Hobble was born with a disability, making her the most likely to be sacrificed for the gods’ favor. But she possesses a rare gift, the ability to see visions. When she foresees the slaughter of their people, the priest becomes even more zealous in his call to arms and accuses Hobble of deceit. Additionally, Hobble’s mother hides a secret, one that could shatter their family more swiftly than any Roman sword. The age of the druids comes alive as told through the eyes of a mother, named Devout, and her daughter, Hobble. The narratives poignantly recount how each woman’s generation has been affected by Roman rule. Perception heavily influences character choices. Named for her limp from a birth deformity, Hobble is never ashamed of who she is but instead finds ways to prove herself capable, including in the healing arts. While there are horrible stories of what Romans have done enslaving their people, the actions of a few are not the sole narrative. Romans bring with them sturdy roads, new business, stone construction, and written language. The old ways would sacrifice Hobble for being a runt, causing her family to re-evaluate what the druids fight to preserve. Impactful themes about the power of change enrich the novel. At times, the non-linear writing style gets confusing. Flashbacks occur in the midst of active conversations before circling back in the following section. However, the characters and their community truly shine. This is a story of a culture finding ways to preserve what’s most important while facing an uncertain future. Recommended. J. Lynn Else
INTO THE UNBOUNDED NIGHT
Mitchell James Kaplan, Regal House, 2020, $16.95, pb, 252pp, 9781646030026
Rome is falling from the edges inward and from the core out. The moral lessons for our own time of a falling empire are not lost on the reader, down to a gold-painted Nero who fiddles while the capital burns. So much for the plot, which is mostly our characters reacting as meaningless devastation hits their various homes. A story for our times. For much of this reading, I found the multiple point-of-view characters sketchily drawn and hastily abandoned, a hindrance to enjoyment. We have Aislin from one corner of the empire— Albion—and Yohanan from the other—Judea. And Vespasian and a Septimus who seems more of a mule to carry Aislin closer to where she has to end up in Galilee with little purpose of her own. Josephus the historian is dragged in there, too. I would have liked a lot more about him. If I missed one or two characters, it’s because it was easy to do without the grappling hooks of character and purpose. I wanted to see more fleshing out, more arc. We even have a disembodied spirit living in the desert, a brief first-person “I,” which is interesting—but the other characters seemed no more substantial. We are told too much, not
