SAFE HAVEN by Peter Hargraves #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Steampunk dystopian fantasy

I've never read anything with the label 'steampunk' before, and knew little about it aside from hot air balloons, so was interested to read this.  It is set in what I believe is the 22nd Century, after much chaos and many wars.  Much of the eastern US is called 'Newingland' (New England), and which is reminiscent of Gilead in A Handmaid's Tale.  Then there is Catamount, the city of genetically modified cougars...

The story's main characters are Margaret, locked into marriage with the authoritarian Barran, and Wolfe, a brave adventurer who finds imaginative ways around the laws of the lands in which he finds himself.  Its primary theme is that of escape, from Barran and restrictive authorities.

I loved the world-building, which is, of course, all-important in a story such as this; it's well thought out and explained, while steering away from information dumps.  The writing was a delight in places, and I found myself quickly drawn in.

Whereas I was completely convinced by this strange world and give a definite thumbs up to the writing style, I felt that Margaret's character and the relationship between her and Wolfe needed a bit more 'meat' to it.  On the whole, however, I did enjoy this book.  It works!

LAST TRAIN TO FREEDOM by Deborah Swift @swiftstory

5 GOLD stars

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How I discovered this book: a favourite author, I was waiting for it!

In a Nutshell: WWII - perilous escape from NKVD and Nazis

After a harrowing escape from the Nazis in their home country of Poland, Zofia, twin brother Jacek and their Uncle Tata have found a home in Lithuania, along with many other Jewish refugees.  Alas, here they face a new danger - the Russian army, bulldozing their way through anything they deem to be anti-communist.

Once they realise that resistance is futile, the Japanese consul is their only hope for visas to travel on the Trans-Siberian express, away from imminent danger.  As well as escaping, Zofia has another mission to complete - the delivery of a secret package to officials in Tokyo.  The problem is that there are others who want to put a spanner in the works; some who appear to be helpful are not what they seem.

I was delighted to find out that Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Lithuania, was a real person who, against orders from his country, issued thousands of visas to Lithuanians and Polish refugees who would have otherwise been captured by the Russians or the Nazis.  Deborah Swift has written a piece about it HERE.

I loved this book from start to finish; it's utterly gripping and I could never guess what might happen next.  More than anything else, it illustrates what a dark, dangerous place mainland Europe was during the first half of the 20th Century, and the bravery of so many who fought on the side of good, against the forces of evil that were intent on eliminating their existence.  Highly, highly recommended - definitely my favourite of Deborah Swift's novels set in World War II.

BURKE AND THE WAR OF 1812 by Tom Williams @TomCW99 #RBRT

5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: military historical fiction, one of a series, all of which are stand-alone.

A terrific book.  I didn't know anything about this war (as outlined on the cover), and found the whole account (fiction based on fact) absolutely fascinating.

James Burke and his sidekick William Brown, an NCO in the regular army, are sent to certain areas of the developing US, under instruction to persuade the First Nation warriors to fight with Britain and Canada against the US.  They must also find out they whens and hows of the coming attack in order to deliver this intelligence to the British - which means going 'under cover' as fur traders, to the Shawnee.

I have not read much at all about the early part of the 19th Century, and it struck me how different it was from the later part of the century, when the 'Second Industrial Revolution' was taking place; Burke's world was before technology started to speed up.  The descriptions of their day-to-day life and the ways of the First Nations absorbed me; the book is extremely well-researched without making one overly aware of this, which is an art in itself.  I also enjoyed the detail about America itself, wondering what Burke would have thought had he known what the country would become.

James Burke is a man of his class and time, and Tom Williams is confident enough not to worry about reflecting this, which was appreciated.  I liked the character of William Brown very much, and found Chapter 4, in particular, absolutely riveting - this is the first chapter from his rather than Burke's POV.

Highly recommended.

A PACT WITH THE DEVIL by Anna Legat @LegatWriter

5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: a favourite author of mine, originally discovered by a tweet for one of her other books

In a Nutshell: murder and demonic possession in 15th century Poland

Loved this book - it's so unusual to read something set in the 15th century in eastern rather than western Europe.  I was fascinated by the names of all the territories, principalities and kingdoms, few of which remain today, in a time when the map of the world looked very different.  Ms Legat talks about this at the back of the book, which has inspired me to find out more.

The story centres around Nicolaus Copernicus, studying in Cracow (Krakow) in Poland, when the death of a certain doctor of much reknown causes angst around the neighbourhood; had he really sold his soul to the devil, or are diabolical plots of a human kind to blame for his and subsequent murders?

The plot is intriguing and well thought out, and Nicolaus leaves no stone unturned in his attempts to get to the bottom of what is happening.  More than this, what delighted me so much about the book was the sense of place and time, the descriptions of the towns and the townsfolk, the customs, the social mores, the beliefs, and the banter between Nicolaus, his wayward brother Andreas and their friends.  The characters sprang from the pages, fully formed.

Highly recommended!

A STOLEN FUTURE by Georgia Rose @georgiarosebook

 4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I'd already read the previous books in the series

In a Nutshell: An antagonist who doesn't realise who he's dealing with...

Well, this was a fun romp!  Book 4 in the A Shade Darker series, which tells the individual stories of various characters living in the fictional village of Melton - this time we turn to Alice, the conscientious right-hand woman of the owner of a local construction company.

Alice's life seems, at the outset, closed and a little depressing.  She's a widow of not quite fifty, but gives the impression of someone much older, possibly living half a century ago.  She has given her life to her work, is liked and appreciated by her colleagues, but has nothing else in her life; she still 'talks to' her husband, who died when she was young.

Her world is turned upside down when her beloved boss dies and is replaced by his thoroughly objectionable son, Rex.  As the story moves along, one gets the impression that there is more to Rex and his mother's unveiled dislike for Alice.  Trouble is, they don't know who Alice used to be, or anything about her background.  That when she decides to take charge, she knows exactly what to do...

I had fun guessing possible outcomes while I was reading this (I was wrong, every time!).  It's very 'readable'; the characters are somewhat larger than life, and there's a darkly comedic air to the story because of this.  Nice twist at the end ... and so it all made sense.  A revelation!

THE GATES OF POLISHED HORN by Mark A Rayner #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

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On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Speculative/Science Fiction short stories.

My favourite genre to read is imagined views of our near future, so many of the stories in this speculative/science fiction collection hit the spot for me.  As with all collections of its type, some I loved, some I liked and some I felt needed a bit more thinking through, though of course such an opinion can only be subjective.

These were the four that stood out most for me:

The Height of Artifice - a man addresses his younger life in theatrical circles, and ponders why why the woman he loved never loved him back.  Delightfully sad.  And kind of funny at the end.

After The Internet - in 2036, a fifty-five year old professor struggles with the youth of the day, who have no understanding of life before the current interconnectedness.  'Explaining a world before the datasphere was like trying to explain the General Theory of Relativity to a fish.  He could do it, but the fish wouldn't understand'.

Probably my absolute favourite: The Gallant Captain Oates - possibly the shortest of them all, at less than three whole pages.  Yes, it's the story of Captain Lawrence 'Titus' Oates who, as a member of the famous South Pole expedition headed by Robert Falcon Scott, even more famously said, "I am just going outside and may be some time".  His comrades knew and understood that he was sacrificing himself for the greater good because his injuries were slowing the whole party down ... but was he?

Mark Rayner has, in two short sentences, put a completely different spin on the story.  It's brilliant, and hilarious.

I also loved Under the Blue Curve, in which Henry, a natural storyteller born after his own time, meets his great love Elisa.  She sees a way to profit from his gift in a way that is beyond Henry's meagre understanding of the current technology.  Sad, amusing, uplifting.

To sum up, when Mark A Rayner is good, he's very, very good.  I'd definitely read something else by him.

UNDER THE EYES OF THE WORLD by G Lawrence @TudorTweep

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: last book in a series of which I had read all the others.

In a Nutshell: The last part of the life of Anne of Cleves.

This book picks up the story of the English court shortly after the death of Catherine Howard.  It follows the fortunes of Katherine Parr after she is chosen to become the last wife of Henry VIII, and the complicated web of manipulation, secrets and lies that follow his death, as the young Prince Edward takes the crown under the guidance of Edward Seymour and John Dudley, all from the point of view of Anne of Cleves.

In her role of first person narrator, Anne talks about the events taking place in her homeland, as well as international conflict and her thoughts on each player in the dramas taking place at home.  She has a deep friendship with Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk and widow of Charles Brandon, who relates details of events to her; much of the book is dialogue-driven.

I liked the inclusion of fictional detail in this book, for instance the visit of Princess Elizabeth to Hever Castle; not a great deal is known about Anne of Cleves, so much of this book comes from the author's imagination and research into other areas.  Most interesting of all was the reign of Mary; I was thinking about her before I started reading this book, and it occurred to me that out of all Henry's offspring, Mary was possibly the one most like him, and that she took after him in personality more than she did Katherine of Aragon.  Elizabeth was so much her mother's daughter, but the older Mary was pure Henry, at his worst.  I very much liked the way Anne could see this happening, too; she had to deal with her own feelings about what her friend had become.

Compared with what happened not only to the other wives but to many women of nobility in those days, she was indeed fortunate.