Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Action/Adventure

Spoils of Olympus II: World on Fire by Christian Kachel – Historical Fiction/War & Military/Post-Alexandrian Greece

Spy-craft, betrayals, and bloody battles infuse this historical novel of Ancient Greece in the chaotic years following the death of Alexander the Great.

World on Fire is the second novel in a complex historical saga narrated by Andrikos, a young man who started his fighting career on the streets of his hometown of Illandra. As a member of the underground cult, The King’s Hand, Andrikos and his traveling companion Vettias dedicate themselves to keeping Alexander’s lineage on the throne of Macedon. The pair is a study in contrasts: Vettias, the elder, is the more hardened soldier who teaches Andrikos the arts of espionage; while Andrikos maintains a youthful idealism that is sometimes at odds with the grim necessities of war.

The lessons Andrikos learns from Vettias offer gripping scenes of surveillance, stealth, and expeditious killings. Together they must help restore Alexander’s dynasty, often posing as enemy operatives. This infiltration creates a multi-layered plot with far reaching implications on and off the battlefield.

In addition to spy-craft and bloodletting, writer Christian Kachel makes room and time to establish Andrikos as a loyal, home-loving son whom his parents trust enough to guard Alexander’s widow Rhoxane and her young son, Alexander IV, within their household despite the obvious dangers.

The arts of war form a central element of World on Fire, with vivid descriptions of ancient weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. To our delight, Kachel does not neglect the feminine, as he presents two powerful young women, both wise beyond their years: the teenage Queen of Macedon, Adea, who becomes a willing player in the plots against the enemies of Vettias and Andrikos; and Mara, Andrikos’ first love, to whom he made prior promises that he is now able to keep.

By the end of ten years of travels and intrigues, Vettias and Andrikos will see the world differently and will have played their part in making positive changes.

Kachel has staged this epic skillfully. Placing Andrikos as the narrator allows the reader to see many political and military viewpoints held by others through a young, albeit, sometimes naïve perception, and to enjoy periods of respite from war and treachery in scenes of romance, home life, and some moments of stolen passion.

Kachel, three times deployed to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a student of warfare who has chosen to concentrate his novelistic mastery on a sometimes neglected period of history—the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great and resulting internecine struggles for dominance in the middle eastern region. Historians disagree on many details of this troubled era, giving Kachel free rein to explore possibilities clearly grounded in fact and research, but also informed by the author’s substantial imaginative gifts.

“A master tactician and student of war, Christian Kachel brings history to life in The Spoils of War II: World on Fire; an engaging foray into the aftermath of Alexander the Great.” – Chanticleer Reviews

March 11, 2017
23 DEGREES SOUTH: A Tropical Tale of Changing Whether by Neal Rabin — a fun and adventurous read

Readers meet Hart, a young American, as he begins a new job as Senior Manager for Maytag in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Chapter one finds him in his new office on a Sunday battling depression by reading the city guidebook he found on his desk, learning the city’s geography and history. He came to the page with a quote that foreshadows the story’s direction.

“That which you are seeking is always seeking you.”

The short chapter ends with his childhood friend Simon coming into the office.

In chapter three, a seemingly innocent sharing of a childhood experience gives insight into the working of the friendship of Hart and Simon.

“On Hart’s twelfth birthday Mr. Goldman made him a gift of the classic Herman Hesse book “Siddhartha.” He read it then loaned it to Simon, who never gave it back. Simon always believed Hart possessed something he did not. He could never solidly identify what that mystery something was, or decide if lacking it made him jealous, disheartened, or relieved.”

For those familiar with this classic book an entirely deeper significance surfaces that adds incredible thought- provoking depth to this fast-reading, upbeat story.

Hesse wrote in German in 1922 about the spiritual journey of self-discovery. First published in the United States in 1951, this novel about Siddhartha and his best friend Govinda gained popularity in the sixties. In it, one seeks truth on his own with the other friend following,

23 Degrees South will capture all readers with its story of two young friends on different paths who intersect within an action packed story, complete with some hilarious scenes.

Those readers familiar with Siddhartha, however, will discover even more. While enjoying the more modern plot, they will find symbolism and depth in the reading of this story. Who influences us in our search for self? Does our life have meaning, or does it not make a difference? What obligations do we have to others? What obligations do we have to ourselves? What is the truth of who we really are, and of our purpose in life?

The author’s characterization is exceptional, with an unusual mix of people with Hart’s beautiful assistant, criminals, a Jesuit priest, and a former Nazi to move along the action. Carmen, Carlos, Lazarus, Gil, and all the other characters come alive in the writing.

Sub-plots add to the main story, giving background and adding to the substance of the main characters. The realistic dialogue keeps readers involved, and the humor throughout makes the story a fun adventurous read while giving the reader pause to reflect on his or her search for the meaning of life. An exemplary read for today’s hectic pace of living—highly recommended.

April 1, 2016
17,000 Feet: A Story of Rebirth by Fox Deatry – an adventurous PNW novel

What do you do after you’ve done all you can? Jo Packwood, marine biologist at the top of her professional game, decides to climb Mt. Olympia, all 17,000 feet of it, looking for clues to her blighted childhood and facing the cold mists of her future.

The book begins on the trail up the mountain. Jo is accompanied by Solomon, nicknamed Squibb, her long-lost uncle, the person most likely to help her reconnect spiritually with her father Papi, or Nelson, who abandoned her and her mother when she was a small child. Why?—Jo has only vague memories to rely on, most of them painting a scurrilous impression of Nelson—a decorated soldier, yes, but a reckless rake and deceiver.

Jo has recently placed her mother, increasingly isolated by Alzheimer’s, in a nursing home, evoking guilt, as well as frustration at the lack of information about the fractured family. As they ascend, Jo and Squibb spar, share, and commiserate, while he gradually, gruffly, fills in a more human, ameliorative portrait of Nelson, who disappeared, presumed dead in an avalanche, on the very mountain they are climbing.

Squibb is a reluctant mentor whose advice will reverberate for Jo at a critical moment: “Life isn’t a sprint, sugar pie. It’s about bases: you get to each for the grand slam homerun.” Loss of radio contact with a group of hikers up ahead, hallucinations possibly brought on by oxygen deprivation, and the horrifying discovery of a cache of frozen corpses (could Nelson’s be among them?) stymie the pair, with worse to come.

Fox Deatry, media executive and author (American Witches: An American Witch in New York City), tells Jo’s story in flashbacks as she hikes up Mt. Olympia: her discouraging visit with her deluded mother; her mentoring moment with a female cleric; an unexpected talk with one of her father’s old war buddies; and her introduction to Solomon/Squibb who will challenge her to conquer the mountain that killed her father (“Up there, you’ll experience unexpected things”).

Deatry’s descriptive prose shows practiced sophistication, and he conveys ordinary conversation believably. The plot is well constructed, and readers may appreciate the story’s close adherence to the classic concept of the hero’s journey: reluctance at the outset, fateful guidance, life-threatening peril, all leading, as the subtitle references, to rebirth, in a most surprising, cinematic conclusion.

17,000 Feet, an adventure combining real time, powerful memory and lush imagination, offers a heroine in crisis coming to terms with her life’s big questions by taking courage and, finally, taking charge.

October 27, 2015
The GREAT SYMMETRY by James R. Wells, a Science Fiction Thrill Ride

At the dawn of the 24th Century, seven corporations or “families” known as the Sisters dictate every aspect of human life. “The Spoon Feed” spits out the latest curated news while Marcom, a marketing communications group, composes “The True Story,” their version of reality for public consumption. Tight control of information is necessary for total corporate domination of all planetary enterprises and the Sisters are willing to go to extreme measures to maintain their stranglehold on humanity.

Driven by a thirst for new information, exoarcheologist Evan McElroy makes a discovery that takes him outside of the perceived safety of the “True Story” and hurls him into the nearest glome, a wormhole-like space portal, where he runs for his life.

His discovery, an ancient artifact from the extinct Versari race, contains data with the potential to dismantle the control of the Sisters and destroy the carefully crafted society they’ve created. A discovery worth killing for.

From the first sentence to the last, The Great Symmetry is a science fiction thrill ride. Opening with Evan in the crosshairs and missiles of Affirmatix (a family of companies within the Sisters), he is forced to take a leap of planetary faith. Evan sends out a final coded message then, with the artifact safely tucked into his EVA suit, he steps out of his runabout craft and propels himself into deep space to escape obliteration by the Affirmatix.

With a dwindling oxygen supply his only hope is that expert pilot and longtime friend Mira Adastra will decode his message before death or Affirmatix takes him. But Affirmatix is already targeting all of Evan’s known associates and Mira has had her own run-ins with the Sisters. It’s only through the unlikely help of Evan’s ex-partner, Kate DelMonaco, that any of the three have a chance to make it out of Evan’s giant leap alive.

In this stunning debut novel, James R. Wells has assembled a great cast of interesting and complex characters embedded in a well-planned dual narrative. Pitting the infoterrorists – seekers of reality and truth – against the corporate, profit-before-people decision makers of Affirmatix creates a dynamic “good versus evil” scenario that allows for a deeper understanding of the motivations that drive each side. The shifting narrative also enables the reader to travel between unique environments that reveal rich and clever world-building components.

With its Kafka-esque view of an escalating, dominant corporate presence, James R. Wells’ The Great Symmetry echoes the timeless social messages of truth, freedom and sacrifice embraced by science fiction greats like Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and the author’s own great grandfather H. G. Wells. Its powerful premise gives voice to the perils and challenges of our current society and reminds the reader that even the smallest person can change the world. A great read!

July 24, 2015