THE SURFACING by Terrance Coffey @terry_coffey #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: Body snatchers, mind control, a supernatural race, in normal situations in small-town America

What struck me all the way through this book is that it would make a terrific Netflix series of the Stranger Things kind; I notice that the author is also a screenwriter, so I wondered if he'd imagined it in this vein as it was being written.

I like books set in small-town America; this takes place in Lynch, Kentucky and Appalachia, Virginia.  In each close community, it becomes increasingly apparent that some people are not who they claim to be.  Others are possessed of superhuman powers, while mysterious chasms appear in the land, and curious sightings are recorded.  People disappear, or change personality overnight.

The story is written from many third person points of view; again, this would have worked if visual, when the actors themselves provide the characterisation, but when they're just names on a page it's not so easy to keep track of them all.  Some, like alcoholic mine worker Clay and his wife Tara, were fully three dimensional, so I could remember who they were, but I had trouble with others; I kept starting a new chapter and thinking, "Who's this fella, again?"  Aside from this, it was well-written and nicely paced, with the mystery of what exactly was going on unfurling slowly, not fully revealed until half-way through.  I appreciated this, as a good plot (which The Surfacing undoubtedly has) is nothing without skilled pacing.

Nice piece of fantasy/paranormal type scifi, for those who love the genre.

A MATTER OF TIME by Judith Arnopp @JudithArnopp

5 GOLD stars

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How I discovered this book: one I was waiting patiently for, after reading the first two in the series.

In a Nutshell: the life of Henry VIII in his own words, from the Anne of Cleves era until his death.

I loved this book!  Marvellous series, quite unlike any other historical fiction I have read.  Henry VIII in first person, present tense - a perfect choice, as the reader walks in his shoes with him, all the way.  Not for a moment does Judith Arnopp succumb to a possible temptation to broaden the point of view, in order to provide more factual detail.  It's totally Henry, all the way.  In the last book I noticed how events that might be given great significance in other works are hardly mentioned, because Ms Arnopp remains completely faithful to Henry's eyes alone.  

The question of Cromwell's lies about the infidelity of Anne Boleyn crops up a few times, as Henry is now able to step back and see the whole picture.  My impression has long been that his whole life was coloured by what he did to her, George, Norris and his other friends, as though he'd opened a door to a dark place that could never be closed.  One feels that Arnopp's Henry may not have actually believed Cromwell at the time, but convinced himself because he was so desperate for a son, exhausted by Anne and temporarily enamoured of Jane Seymour's timidity.

I found myself liking this older Henry, give or take the odd casually signed execution warrant or twenty.  I loved the section about Anne of Cleves (including how he began to see the merest hint of a spark of something between them...), and his delight in Katherine Howard was almost 'sweet'.  Karma or not, I felt so sorry for him when he was faced with the truth about her, the way in which his whole fantasy was torn away, revealing the relationship for what it was - and how it was the end of his fantasy about himself, too.  For one so obsessed with his own image, to see himself laid bare, as others saw him.  Saddest of all was his loneliness in his old age.  If only he could have used that time to get to know his children more.  And perhaps condemn fewer people to death...

Most ingenious of all, throughout the whole series, is that although ostensibly seen only through Henry's eyes, the thoughts of others and the truth about an event are often starkly apparent to the reader.  Now that's what I called skilled writing.  Bravo, Judith Arnopp!

Terrific series.  Can't recommend too highly.  I envy you if you have all three books yet to read!

Both painted during the 16th Century by unknown artists.

I, RICHARD PLANTAGENET: Book 2: Loyaulte Me Lie, by J P Reedman @stonehenge2500

5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: Already reading this series

In a Nutshell: The later life of Richard III

Excellent book, this one.  Probably my favourite of the series.  It starts with the aftermath of Edward IV's death, and ends at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

Much of this story deals with the fate of Edward V and his brother, the 'Princes in the Tower', and does much to dismiss early portrayals of Richard as a demonic fiend who probably murdered his own nephews and poisoned his wife.  The scenarios put forward by this author are completely feasible and sound a good deal more likely.  Of course the period of the Wars of the Roses was turbulent and dangerous indeed, with so much treason, nobles turning their coats according to whichever cause would benefit them the most; the impression I got was that Richard did what he had to do, but only when he really had to.  Looking at the claims to the throne, it does appear that the Yorkist one was the most valid.

The development of Richard's personality was so cleverly written, as he grew in confidence and became more comfortable within his role as king.

I loved the research that has clearly gone into this book, particularly that about Northampton, near the beginning.  I lived there for 40 years, and was most interested to see that names of some streets date this far back (Gold Street, Marefair, Sheep Street, the Drapery, Greyfriars).  The 'Guild of the Holy Rood' (I have a friend who lives in Holyrood Road).  The abbey of St Mary De La Pre (an area of the town is called Delapre).  Oh, and the Bantam Cock pub, which kept its name until the end of the last century.  In this area is the Queen Eleanor Cross, also mentioned; a marker on the funeral procession for Edward I's beloved wife.

This is a first class series, highly recommended if you are as fascinated by this period in history as I am.   

THE KELSEY OUTRAGE by Alison Louise Hubbard #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: Fictional account based on a true crime story

In 1872, Charles Kelsey, brother of Cathleen, goes missing.  He has, for some time, been pursuing former love Lucy-Jane, now engaged to be married to another man: Sam Royals.  Lucy insists Charles's obsession was one-sided; others know it was not.

A talented poet, educated and striking in his unusual mode of presenting himself, Charles is a controversial figure in the neighbourhood.  When he goes missing, Cathleen is determined to uncover the truth, with the help of a bumbling local constable and the few people not in cahoots with the wealthy Royals family.  

Cathleen and younger brother Danny are distraught when they discover that Charles was tarred and feathered; the crime divides the town.

This story is well-written and researched, and I enjoyed reading it.  I found main character Cathleen a little flat, though others, such as the likeable Sam and his feckless brother Reuben, manipulative Lucy and social-climbing Hank, came alive on the page to a far greater degree, and almost immediately.  There is much entertaining detail aside from the main story, such as Sam's experiences working in his uncle's Manhattan store, with the ghastly manager.

A solid four stars, though I felt it needed a little more oomph, perhaps by making Cathleen a more colourful character, or maybe editing it down; at times it felt slightly plodding, and it's a fairly long book.  But I liked it.  It was good, made more interesting, of course, because it really happened.  Most impressive as a debut novel, too!

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Erich Maria Remarque

 5 GOLD stars

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How I discovered this book: Looked for it after re-watching the recent German remake of the film

In a Nutshell: A young German man's experiences in World War I

I was surprised, when I started to read this book.  I expected it to be heavy going, a lengthy tome, but it's far from that.  It's not very long (I would estimate about 70K words), and the first person point of view of Paul Bäumer, the protagonist, flows along in a highly readable fashion; it's like reading a diary.  I'd finished it in just two days, couldn't put it down.  

It goes without saying that the novel illustrates the absolute evil of war, and reminds one of the pointlessness of all that those millions of poor men suffered on the Western Front, for nothing much at all apart from making those who profit from such carnage even richer and more powerful.  Meanwhile, Paul and his friends gradually change from enthusiastic lads who were lied to by their teachers about the glory of war and how it was their duty to enlist, to shell-shocked and lost men who can relate only to each other; nothing prepared them for the horror of trench warfare, and no words can explain it to those back at home.

Echoing the cover, it's just the best war novel I've ever read.  Read it!! (btw if you're buying off Amazon, be careful not to get an abridged version)

'I am twenty years of age but I know nothing of life except despair, death, fear,  and the combination of completely mindless superficiality with an abyss of suffering.  I see people being driven against one another, and silently, uncomprehendingly, foolishly, obediently and innocently killing one another.  I see the best brains in the world inventing weapons and words to make the process that much more sophisticated and long-lasting.  And watching this with me are all my contemporaries, here and on the other side, all over the world - my whole generation is experiencing this with me.'

This picture says so much, no matter which country's generals demanded you be sent off to kill and be killed by men just like you - the Cameron Highlanders, before and after WWI.

NEW BEGINNINGS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND by Lorna Hunting

 4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: Twitter

In a Nutshell: Historical drama set in late 19th Century NW England and Canada.

This is such a 'readable' book, it flows so well and I galloped through it.  Starting in Whitehaven in Cumbria, NW England, at the end of the 19th century, its main character is a coal miner called Stag who becomes embroiled in a nasty case of blackmail and considers that an offer to emigrate to Vancouver Island in Canada, to start a new life in the land of opportunity, might make for a sound move.

As the families from Whitehaven wait to board ship in Liverpool, we meet the other main character - Kate McAvoy, the daughter of a schoolmaster who doesn't want to leave England.  Once aboard, both the families in steerage and the middle class, like Kate, experience something of a rude awakening about life on board a ship for six whole months.  Part two takes us to Vancouver Island, and the emigrants' first year.

There's a romantic element to this novel, though it's woven into the story in such a way that it won't bother non-romance readers (like me!) - it's just part of what happens to the characters.  In Part Two, affairs of the heart come up against some intriguing obstacles, which kept me interested - I'd say the primary genre of the story, though, is historical family drama.  Despite a few tragedies, the mood of the book is quite light, and I think it would appeal to anyone who likes this genre as the writing itself is most accessible and it's clearly very well researched.  I certainly enjoyed it and will be reading the sequel before I am much older!

THE DRAU RIVER FLOWS TO SIBERIA: The Victims of Victory by Marina Osipova

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: The story of two people who survived Stalin's Siberian gulags, and the fate of the Cossacks under the care of the Allies in WWII.

I feel quite exhausted having just finished this book, a lengthy novel in which I was engrossed throughout.  It centres around what happened to anti-Soviet Russian nationals at the end of WWII - mostly the Cossacks of Ukraine and other 'enemies' of the Allies - at the hands of the victors: the British and Americans as well as Stalin's Red Army, who also assured Germans that they would remain in the hands of the Western Powers.  All in the name of 'repatriation'. 

Anna and Zakhary, finally set free from incarceration under the most brutal of regimes, are strangers who meet by chance on an isolated peninsula of the Ob River, in 1955.  While waiting many hours for a boat, they tell each other their stories, immediately taking the reader back to the end of the war and the unforeseen dangers that lay along the paths they were about to walk.  

Zakhary was a German national whose Cossack father had taken his family to live in Germany.  Anna found herself separated from her family when the Wehrmacht occupied her town, and was offered the chance to work in Germany; sadly, she believed lies about what a good move this would be.  At the end of the war, though, she finds that nothing she experienced in the last few years has prepared her for what is to come.

The slippery hand of fate takes both of them to the Siberian Gulags; although this is fiction, you cannot help but be aware, throughout, that everything Anna and Zakhary went through was experienced by hundreds of thousands, many of whom would never see freedom again.

This isn't just about the evils of Communism, or of war, but man's inhumanity to man.  My only (tiny!) complaint is the occasional use of American English.  Words like 'normalcy' 'cookies' and 'fall' (rather than autumn) never sit right with me when the book is about European or Eurasian people.  But I doubt anyone will mind that as much as I do, if at all, and this really is a terrific book.

Here is an article about the Lienz massacre in Austria, in which the Cossacks were betrayed by the British army, and another one HERE.  Below, a short video.