Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery
Setting: England in the early second century.
First Sentence: Someone had washed the mud off the body, but as Gaius Petreius Ruso unwrapped the sheet, there was still a distinct smell of river water.
This novel is the first in Downie's Medicus series.
Ruso is a military doctor. He has just arrived to new posting in Briton. Unfortunately, one of his first duties is performing a postmortem exam exam of a young woman.
Ruso is not a sleuth, but when another young woman turns up dead, he begins to ask questions. Could there be a connection between the two deaths?
Ruso is in Briton due to a messy divorce. Additionally, his family is relying on him to send home some cash so they can pay off the loans on the family farm.
Then there is Tilla. When Ruso sees a slave trader abusing her, Ruso buys Tilla. Ruso sets her broken arm and nurses her back to health. At first, Ruso realizes that he could make a large profit by selling Tilla after she regains her health. But, Ruso learns that she means more to him than simply her resale value.
As Ruso investigates, he learns about the slave trade and its connection to a local brothel. As he comes closer to uncovering the truth, Ruso learns that, in learning the truth, he might lose Tilla.
For me, this novel was a real page turner. The last half of the book was great and I devoured the pages. I especially appreciated the relationship between Tilla and Ruso. Their fondness grew slowly. Their communication was made more difficult because their differences in culture and social class.
I think the author made good use of the third person limited point of view. Several times Ruso learns something, but the author doesn't let us know what it is. This helped heighten my interest in the plot, and kept me reading.
In my opinion, this was a great read.
The Medicus Series
Monday, February 24, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Legend City by: John Bueker
Genre: History
Setting: Arizona
If you lived in the Phoenix area during the sixties and seventies, then you remember Legend City. Legend City was our theme park.
Entrepreneur Louis Crandall envisioned a theme park similar to Disneyland. Legend City opened in the early sixties and lasted for twenty years. Through a succession of owners and bankruptcies Legend City entertained a generation of Arizonans until it closed its doors for the last time in September of 1983.
In this book, John Bueker tells a brief history of the park. He has also included a unique collection of photographs which document the park, the rides, the attractions, and the people of Legend City.
If you remember Legend City, this book will be a nostalgic reminder of that time long ago when Phoenix had its own theme park.
Setting: Arizona
If you lived in the Phoenix area during the sixties and seventies, then you remember Legend City. Legend City was our theme park.
Entrepreneur Louis Crandall envisioned a theme park similar to Disneyland. Legend City opened in the early sixties and lasted for twenty years. Through a succession of owners and bankruptcies Legend City entertained a generation of Arizonans until it closed its doors for the last time in September of 1983.
In this book, John Bueker tells a brief history of the park. He has also included a unique collection of photographs which document the park, the rides, the attractions, and the people of Legend City.
If you remember Legend City, this book will be a nostalgic reminder of that time long ago when Phoenix had its own theme park.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder
Genre: Steampunk
Setting: an alternate version of nineteenth century England.
First Sentence: "By God! He's killed himself!"
FYI: some adult language, some minor references to Sadism.
Victorian England was the center of technological progress during the last half of the nineteenth century. But the England described by Hodder in his novel, is not the England we know from history. The author describes fantastic forms of mechanized technology, unique types of motorized vehicles, and strange applications of genetic science.
For years, there had been reports of a strange creature accosting young women. This creature was called Spring Heeled Jack. These stories had been passed off as myths. Then, our main character, Richard Francis Burton, became a victim of Spring Heeled Jack.
Burton, a noted adventurer was appointed as a special agent for the government. His orders were to seek out Spring Heeled Jack and end his attacks.
Burton's investigations uncover strange goings on in London. Spring Heeled Jack seemed to be connected with weird experiments being performed by some of England's greatest scientific minds.
Just as Burton gets close to solving the mystery, the author changes our point of view. Seeing the story from a different perspective reveals Spring Heeled Jack's motivations to us.
The novel ends with a rousing battle. Jack, the scientists, and some of their creations versus Burton and the constables of Scotland Yard.
Who is Spring Heeled Jack? Why is he making his attacks? How has his appearances changed the world?
This novel was a fun read. Not only did it have a creative plot, but the book itself had a unique look. The outside cover and the chapter headings evoked the Victorian/Steampunk nature of the novel.
I liked this book, it was a good read.
Here are links to the books in the series.
Setting: an alternate version of nineteenth century England.
First Sentence: "By God! He's killed himself!"
FYI: some adult language, some minor references to Sadism.
Victorian England was the center of technological progress during the last half of the nineteenth century. But the England described by Hodder in his novel, is not the England we know from history. The author describes fantastic forms of mechanized technology, unique types of motorized vehicles, and strange applications of genetic science.
For years, there had been reports of a strange creature accosting young women. This creature was called Spring Heeled Jack. These stories had been passed off as myths. Then, our main character, Richard Francis Burton, became a victim of Spring Heeled Jack.
Burton, a noted adventurer was appointed as a special agent for the government. His orders were to seek out Spring Heeled Jack and end his attacks.
Burton's investigations uncover strange goings on in London. Spring Heeled Jack seemed to be connected with weird experiments being performed by some of England's greatest scientific minds.
Just as Burton gets close to solving the mystery, the author changes our point of view. Seeing the story from a different perspective reveals Spring Heeled Jack's motivations to us.
The novel ends with a rousing battle. Jack, the scientists, and some of their creations versus Burton and the constables of Scotland Yard.
Who is Spring Heeled Jack? Why is he making his attacks? How has his appearances changed the world?
This novel was a fun read. Not only did it have a creative plot, but the book itself had a unique look. The outside cover and the chapter headings evoked the Victorian/Steampunk nature of the novel.
I liked this book, it was a good read.
Here are links to the books in the series.
Monday, February 10, 2014
A Kingdom's Cost by J. R. Tomlin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: Scotland during the early 14th century.
First Sentence: Dazed, knocked to his knees by the merchant's blow, James Douglas leaned
against the brick wall.
FYI: Some adult content.
This novel is the first in the author's Black Douglas trilogy.
The action of this novel takes place at the beginning of the Scottish War of Independence. The author has crafted a fictional tale which weaves its way through actual historical events.
Our main character is James Douglas, who history remembers as the Black Douglas. As a young man his father was executed by King Edward the First of England. Later, James was witness to the brutal execution of William Wallace. So, James has no love of England or the English king. When Robert the Bruce declares himself king of the Scots, James rushes to his side and swears allegiance to him.
As the story progresses, James experiences the savage cruelty of war in the fourteenth century. James is fighting, not only for independence for the Scots, but also to regain his family's historical lands. At several times James needed to make terrible choices which earned him the the reputation of being a savage warlord. Thus he was known to his English enemies as the Black Douglas.
In between the scenes of battle is the ill-fated tale of James's love for Isabella MacDuff. Isabella left a cruel husband who had allied himself to the English crown. She arrived to support the Scottish cause, and fell in love with James.
I felt that the pace of the novel started out slowly as the author set the scene and introduced the characters. However, the pace picked up as the plot reached the descriptions of the battles and of James and Isabella's romance. In my opinion, the author chose a satisfactory place in the plot to end the first installment of the series.
This was an enjoyable read. The battle scenes were realistic. The characters were believable. When the novel ended, I wanted to keep reading.
The second novel of the series is now on my "to read" list.
The books of the Black Douglas Series:
Setting: Scotland during the early 14th century.
First Sentence: Dazed, knocked to his knees by the merchant's blow, James Douglas leaned
against the brick wall.
FYI: Some adult content.
This novel is the first in the author's Black Douglas trilogy.
The action of this novel takes place at the beginning of the Scottish War of Independence. The author has crafted a fictional tale which weaves its way through actual historical events.
Our main character is James Douglas, who history remembers as the Black Douglas. As a young man his father was executed by King Edward the First of England. Later, James was witness to the brutal execution of William Wallace. So, James has no love of England or the English king. When Robert the Bruce declares himself king of the Scots, James rushes to his side and swears allegiance to him.
As the story progresses, James experiences the savage cruelty of war in the fourteenth century. James is fighting, not only for independence for the Scots, but also to regain his family's historical lands. At several times James needed to make terrible choices which earned him the the reputation of being a savage warlord. Thus he was known to his English enemies as the Black Douglas.
In between the scenes of battle is the ill-fated tale of James's love for Isabella MacDuff. Isabella left a cruel husband who had allied himself to the English crown. She arrived to support the Scottish cause, and fell in love with James.
I felt that the pace of the novel started out slowly as the author set the scene and introduced the characters. However, the pace picked up as the plot reached the descriptions of the battles and of James and Isabella's romance. In my opinion, the author chose a satisfactory place in the plot to end the first installment of the series.
This was an enjoyable read. The battle scenes were realistic. The characters were believable. When the novel ended, I wanted to keep reading.
The second novel of the series is now on my "to read" list.
The books of the Black Douglas Series:
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