October 2023 MBR The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann
Virginia Pye
www.virginiapye.com
Regal Publishing
https://regalhousepublishing.com
9781646033973, $19.95, PB, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Literary-Undoing-Victoria-Swann/dp/1646033973

Synopsis: Victoria Swann is a successful author of romance and adventure novels who becomes a champion of women's rights as she takes on the literary establishment and finds her true voice, both on and off the page. But everything changes for Victoria when she goes against her publisher's demands and abandons her frivolous style to tell her own story.

Her new, young, Harvard-bred editor becomes her unexpected ally as she fights for the women who have been her faithful readers. Set in Gilded Age Boston, "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" by novelist Virginia Pye shows writing and reading as acts of defiance and revision in life and revision on the page as intimately entwined.

Critique: A deftly crafted, thought-provoking, compelling, and fun read from start to finish, "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" fully showcases author Virginia Pye's genuine flair for memorable original characters and an original, narrative driven plot that will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in historical fiction reflecting the struggle to have women's abilities recognized and appreciated in 19th Century America. While especially recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Virginia Pye (www.virginiapye.com) is the author of the short story collection Shelf Life of Happiness which won the 2019 IPPY Gold Medal for Short Fiction. Her two historical novels set in China, "Dreams of the Red Phoenix" and "River of Dust", also received literary awards. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She is Fiction Editor at Pangyrus and has taught writing at NYU, UPenn, and at GrubStreet Writing Center in Boston.

Flags on the Bayou
James Lee Burke
Atlantic Monthly Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161697, $28.00, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Flags-Bayou-James-Lee-Burke/dp/0802161693

Synopsis: In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is retreating toward Texas, and being replaced by Red Legs, irregulars commanded by a maniacal figure, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom.

When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed (and did) as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle's plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah.

"Flags on the Bayou" is an engaging, action-packed narrative that includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the local Union commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by a diseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossoming between an unlikely pair. As the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief.

Critique: As a novelist, James Lee Burke is a gifted wordsmith who describes the rich Louisiana landscape, the sunsets on the Mississippi River, the dingy saloons of New Orleans, the tree-lined shores of the bayou, and so much more as the background framing of his impressively original and narrative driven storytelling style. "Flags on the Bayou" is a memorable and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Flags on the Bayou" is also available in a paperback edition (Grove Press, 9780802163387, $18.00), in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.24), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Simon & Schuster Audio, 9781797159485, $34.99, CD).

Editorial Note: James Lee Burke (https://www.jamesleeburke.com) is a two-time winner of the Edgar Award, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction. He's authored thirty-seven novels and two short story collections.

A Beautiful Rival
Gill Paul
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063245112, $18.99, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Rival-Helena-Rubinstein-Elizabeth/dp/0063245116

Synopsis: They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination -- and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the Great Depression.

Brought up in poverty, Canadian-born Elizabeth Arden changed popular opinion, persuading women from all walks of life to buy skincare products that promised them youth and beauty. Helena Rubinstein left her native Poland, and launched her company with scientific claims about her miracle creams made with anti-ageing herbs.

And when it came to business, nothing was off-limits: poaching each other's employees, copying each other's products, planting spies, hiring ex-husbands, and one-upping each other every chance they had. This was a rivalry from which there was no surrender! And through it all were two women, bold, brazen, and determined to succeed -- no matter the personal cost.

"A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden" is sweeping historical novel in which two larger-than life fashion icons are brought back to life with all their passion, bitterness, and ambition as they each try to live the American dream.

Critique: Of special appeal to readers with an interest in historical fiction and celebrity biographical fiction, "A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden" is an enormously entertain, exceptionally well written novel by Gill Paul who pays meticulous attention to historical details in his historical work of fiction. While a very highly recommended pick for community library Historical/Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Beautiful Rival" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212694865, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Gill Paul (http://gillpaul.com/author) is the author of twelve historical novels, many of them about real women from the past whom she thinks have been marginalized or misjudged by historians. Her novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Toronto Globe & Mail charts, and have been translated into twenty-two languages. Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories.

Away from the Dead
David Bergen
Goose Lane Editions
www.gooselane.com
9781773103105, $24.95, PB, 226pp

https://www.amazon.com/Away-Dead-David-Bergen/dp/1773103105

Synopsis: Violence is the domain of both the rich and poor. Or so it seems in early 20th-century Ukraine during the tumult of the Russian Revolution.

Anarchists, Bolsheviks, and the White Army all come and go, each claiming freedom and justice. In his novel, "Away from the Dead", author David Bergen embeds his readers into the lives of characters connected through love, family, and loyalty.

Lehn, a bookseller south of Kiev, deserts the army and writes poetry to his love back home; Sablin, an adopted Mennonite-Ukrainian stableboy, runs with the anarchists only to discover that love and the planting of crops is preferable to killing; Inna, a beautiful young peasant, tries to stop a Mennonite landowner from stealing her child.

In a world of violence, Sablin, Lehn, and Inna learn to love and hate and love again, hoping, against all odds, that one can turn away from the dead.

Critique: Memorable, emotional, and thought-provoking, in the pages of "Away from the Dead", novelist David Bergen reveals a world of yesteryear in which chaos reigned and where both the beauty and the horror of what humanity is capable of are revealed. Simply stated, that "Away from the Dead" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Literary Fiction and Historical Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: David Bergen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bergen) is the author of numerous acclaimed novels and short-story collections, including The Time In Between, winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and Out of Mind, winner of the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. "Away from the Dead" is his thirteenth book of fiction. He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Last True Templar
Boyd & Beth Morrison
Head of Zeus
https://headofzeus.com/home
9781801108683, $20.99, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Last-True-Templar-Tales-Lawless/dp/1801108684

Synopsis: Italy, 1351. English knight Gerard Fox and the resourceful Willa have come through a death-defying journey across war-torn Europe. Now looking towards their future together, they must first find a way to reconcile with their difficult pasts.

In a small village between Florence and Siena, Fox and Willa are caught up in a deadly ambush. After rescuing the enigmatic woman who is the target of the attack, they take refuge in her opulent villa and learn her heartbreaking story -- a tale of loss, deception, as well as a burning desire for freedom.

Soon, Fox and Willa are involved in a perilous quest to save her family's legacy. To do so, they will have to solve a mystery that points the way to the fabled lost treasure of the Knights Templar.

Critique: A carefully crafted and original medieval action/adventure novel, "The Last True Templar" is the sequel to co- authors Boyd and Beth Morrison's historical novel "The Lawless Land". A perilous quest, a deadly legacy, knights in not- so-shining armor, "The Last True Templar is a fun and riveting read from first page to last. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last True Templar" is also available in a paperback edition (9781801108706, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note #1: Boyd Morrison (www.facebook.com/BoydMorrisonWriter) is author of twelve thrillers, including six with Clive Cussler. His first novel, The Ark, was an Indie Next Notable pick and was translated into over a dozen languages. He has a PhD in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech. You can follow Boyd on: @BoydMorrison IG: @BoydMorrisonWriter

Editorial Note #2: Beth Morrison (www.facebook.com/BethMorrisonWriter) is Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has curated major exhibitions including 'Imagining the Past in France, 1250-1500', and 'Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World'. She has a PhD in the History of Art from Cornell University and can be followed on: @BethMorrisonPhd IG: @BethMorrisonWriter

The Lion Communique
Jim Cherry
Jymsbooks
www.jymsbooks.com
9798987993712, $29.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Communique-Jim-Cherry/dp/B0C4R37QRQ

Synopsis: "The Lion Communique" is an anthology of thirteen darkly wound stories by Jim Cherry that examine the struggle between good and evil from multiple perspectives. These stories include Jim Morrison in the wilderness of Shamans and psychedelics, capturing the soul of General Sherman, mysterious forces at play in the trenches of WWI, southern gothic/noir, families at war, and the ghosts of our pasts that we carry with us -- as well as the hope of redemption.

Critique: Original, deftly crafted, memorable, entertaining, thoughtful and thought-provoking, each jewel of a short story comprising "The Lion Communique" is inherently fascinating and showcase author Jim Cherry's genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling and mastery of the short story format. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Literary Fiction & Short Story Anthology collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lion Communique" is also available in a paperback edition (9798987993705, $14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Editorial Note: Jim Cherry (https://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/author/jimcherry) was born and raised in Chicago, spent his 20's in the pursuit of experience as research in the name of art, visiting places as New Orleans, Los Angeles, Germany, France and Mexico. He now resides in the western suburbs of Chicago. He's formerly a columnist for and appeared on The Rants, Raves and Rock 'n' Roll Magazine and radio show. He currently writes The Doors Examiner, and has written the novels Becoming Angel, The Last Stage, and the book of short stories Stranger Souls. Jim has also had stories published in The Doors Collector Magazine, and poems in various poetry volumes.

A Delicate Marriage
Margarita Barresi
https://www.margaritabarresi.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639889303, $17.99 Paper/$27.99 Hardcover

https://www.amazon.com/Delicate-Marriage-Margarita-Barresi/dp/1639889302

A Delicate Marriage is a historical novel set in Puerto Rico forty years after it became a U.S. colony and centers on wealthy Isabella "Isa" Soto, whose initial ambitions are thwarted by her love of and marriage to poor man Marco Rios.

As a child facing his first hurricane in 1928, Marco is charged with caring for his mother and siblings when his father vanishes at the height of the storm. Determined to fulfill his promise to his father to become the man of the family, he embarks on a mission to improve both their lives and the broader world of Puerto Ricans who live on the poverty line.

Isa harbors her own feelings of abandonment and pain from her father's choices, rebelling against his admonition that she should not marry Marco for various reasons. As she faces life with Marco, including a terrible truth from childbirth and his lack of skills in either satisfying her or maintaining his moral balance, Isa experiences a series of revelations about life, good and bad choices, and the influences of her country's values and politics under American rule. These change her perceptions of her relationships.

When reporter Antonio Badilla further changes and challenges her ideals, Isa finds herself responding to his seductive ideas and offer as Marco finds himself in the center of a whirlwind of cultural, social, and political change in Puerto Rico.

A winning combination of personal experience and research lends a realistic, warm overlay to the true foundations of the events portrayed in A Delicate Marriage, bringing the nation and its people to life. The intimate "you are here" feel of the story represents a powerful inspection of poverty, politics, and personal connections that requires little prior knowledge of Puerto Rico in order to prove accessible.

Driven by fictional characters that look to grasp unprecedented opportunities for their island nation, A Delicate Marriage examines the delicate nature of all kinds of relationships and peels away layers of historical and cultural influence to illustrate how change trickles down from political events and connections into personal lives and psychology.

Libraries and readers interested in either Puerto Rico or a winning story of a couple buffeted by the winds and tides of political change will find A Delicate Marriage compelling, revealing, and thought-provoking. At its conclusion, they will know far more about Puerto Rico's vivid history on a level that embraces personal struggles and growth.

Stone Mother
Malve S. Burns
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639889242, $17.99

https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Mother-Malve-S-Burns/dp/1639889248

Stone Mother may sound like a fairy-tale, with its story of a young girl raised in a German castle, but it's also a work of historical fiction that embraces post-World-War-II history with a psychologically poignant story of family psyche, abuse, and survival. The story opens with an especially compelling first-person observation from five-year-old Marie: "To a child, parents are like weather - all around you and constantly changing. They come and go at will, are the spring rain and autumn fog, refreshing cold and blistering heat. They're the gray days that last forever or star-filled nights after a drenching rain. My own mother was both a firebolt and freezing cold, and constantly around me..."

Even at age five, Marie has learned to navigate her mother's volatility and explosions. What she has yet to learn is how to navigate the larger forces in life that bring the outside world to their doorstep and prompt further changes after the Allies defeat the Germans and her changes yet again. Stone Mother represents both an inward and outer journey that operates on many levels. As a story of abuse, family dynamics, and survival tactics, it breathes a breath of fresh air into such accounts by placing Marie in disparate positions as she grows up and confronts other forces in her life. Especially poignant are the contrasts between the lifestyle and culture Marie has known of her Germany, and the experiences of others, which might as well come from a foreign land far from Marie's ken. Reflections on how Hitler rose to power through promises and an almost visionary hypnosis that acknowledged Germany's inner psyche and frustrations to how Marie not just survived, but thrived despite family and social buffets, make for engrossing, thought-provoking moments that bring the nation and its people to life.

Between changing points of view as other characters explore their own evolutionary process and reactions to the methods the characters use to confront darknesses of the past and promises of the future, Malve S. Burns creates a powerful novel of trauma, healing, and recovery that operates on both a personal and national level. Whether seeking fiction about post-German recovery or individual survival of family dynamics, libraries looking for exceptionally vivid, evocative stories that blend the magical perceptions of youth with the staid absorption of adulthood will find Malve S. Burns has created a gem in Stone Mother that ideally will also earn a place on book club reading lists.

The Lost Princess of Alicante
E.V. Padilla
https://evpadillaauthor.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888863, $18.99

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Princess-Alicante-V-Padilla-ebook/dp/B0CDB54DK6

The Lost Princess of Alicante is a historical novel that moves from the Caribbean Islands in the 1600s to the modern American Southwest, and back. The legacy of a ruler's dream of building an enlightened society has come to roost in corrupted ideals that moved away from this vision and into a political and social structure that is anything but ideal. Two women, Ines and her Aunt Sofia, find themselves mired in choices of the past and their incarnation in their present-day lives as they navigate the politics and social requirements of a newly installed princess who holds little familiarity with her revised role and heritage.

Don Roman Velasquez, Sofia's wealthy cousin, may have uncovered a truth, but he's shaken their lives with not just his discovery, but a kingdom's recovery of a leader who steps into a new role and faces the fact that a few days with Prince Agustin's carefree son Alejandro has resulted in a new legacy that portends her ongoing connections to this strange new world. Her confrontation with spies, the dangerous Grizzle-Beard, and abuse that transfers handily from her aunt to greater struggles in her new life injects life and surprising twists into the story of a young woman who doesn't step into a new role and life, but is pulled and falls into it with few choices. Can descendants really restore an ideal and a dream? Should they be called from their own worlds to do so?

E.V. Padilla poses many interesting questions in the course of building a novel that rests not only on historical precedents and modern conundrums, but the psyches of women who find themselves mired in a situation they never dreamed of. From the birth and death of dreams to portents of the future which emerge in unexpected ways, the social and political confrontations are just as vibrant as the personal revelations Padilla builds among characters that hold their own special interests and perceptions of choice and future in hand. The Lost Princess of Alicante presents many characters and forces at work in the evolution of its story. No light read, it will pique the mind with shifting relationships that come from arenas of abuse, domination, political struggle, and personal growth. Libraries and readers seeking historical novels that represent intriguing discoveries that require characters move beyond their personal ambitions to assume bigger roles in life will find The Lost Princess of Alicante filled with discussion points and thought-provoking moments.

The Arsenal of Deceit
Donald Levin
www.donaldlevin.com
Poison Toe Press
9780997294194, $22.95 Paper/$4.69 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Arsenal-Deceit-Donald-Levin/dp/0997294191

The Arsenal of Deceit is a story of intrigue and social inspection set in Detroit in 1941. It focuses on a cast of characters who investigate their worlds, from P.I. Elizabeth Waters, who is probing Detroit's pro-Nazi, Christian nationalist groups, to Black detective Clarence Brown's discovery of a deadly racist conspiracy and Eva Szabo's mission to uncover the source of anti-union violence. Four investigators seemingly making their own paths through the political and social turmoil of Detroit find their worlds intersect in more than professional manners as they navigate uncertain (and uncharted) waters of treachery and plots. Their conclusions will shake the foundations of their personal missions and society as a whole.

The dialogue-driven story is especially strong in interactions between different characters and players on all sides of the law, contrasting the search for justice with the deeper inspection of personal ethics and motivations for actions that don't always fall on the side of propriety. It's no easy dance to present the concurrent evolution of four different characters; or to move between them with such grace that readers are carried by the momentum of each character's charisma and ongoing developments, with little confusion experienced during these transitions. The discoveries about special interests fostering social conflict in America are especially thought-provoking as events mirror modern-day turmoil affecting broad circles of society.

Readers well aware of modern history will find the events and well-researched backdrop of this story come to life, spiced not only by the strong character development and contrasts in motives and influence, but by the powerful intersection of research into American history which lends a real foundation of truth to matters that test the characters and their readers. Perhaps at no other time would the events of the 1940s outlined in The Arsenal of Deceit prove so compelling to both history buffs and average Americans with little familiarity with the past. Its echoes and resemblance to present-day scenarios is eerie, offering much food for thought. Libraries and readers interested in novels that promise appeal outside the usual historical fiction circles will find The Arsenal of Deceit not only highly recommended for thoughtful readers who like their intrigue spiced with real-world events and questions, but for book clubs interested in debating the underlying influences directing both political and community circles in past and present American society.

Nova Roma: De Itinere in Occasum
Anderson Gentry
Crimson Dragon Publishing
https://crimsondragonpublishing.com
9781944644079, $16.99 Paper/$8.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Nova-Roma-Itinere-Anderson-Gentry/dp/1944644075

The first book of the series, Nova Roma: De Itinere in Occasum, provides a different slant on ancient Rome by delving into the genre of alternative history. This approach lends a creative edge to a subject which, otherwise, has almost been overdone in fictional circles, positing a situation which changes both Rome's second civil war and the wide-ranging impact it holds on a changed world.

While readers need not have prior knowledge of ancient Rome, a basic background in traditional history and some analysis of events will lend to an even deeper appreciation of the historical accuracy and unusual extrapolations Anderson Gentry has created in a story that moves into a different outcome and world from a single twist in fate.

Of particular strength and note is how Gentry weaves actual history with alternative history. Also unusually strong is an introduction which sets the stage for even those with light knowledge of the times to appreciate how Gentry introduces these changes based on real events. Imagine, for example, a Roman Republic in the New World, albeit without Caesar as leader. Imagine an empire that never falls, a Dark Ages that never happens, and a powerful light that never fails.

These are but a few of the facets of this vastly revised world that are explored in detail in the Nova Roma series, introduced here in De Itinere in Occasum. The story opens with a "you are here" prologue that captures the setting and atmosphere:

"It was a lovely late winter evening, with the cool mild air typical of Rome at that time of year. The show in Theatrum Pompeium was entertaining; the actors were portraying some event that had taken place during a trial of an accused murderer several days earlier. Despite the best efforts of the actors and their outrageous antics, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey Magnus, general of the Roman Army and former consul of Rome, was not amused. The news from the north was too dire."

Soon this old world and Pompey's place it in will shift as a freak storm blows his ship into unknown territory, where he encounters strange new worlds and resolves to build his own Roman Republic, eventually to defy Caesar, and despite the natives' ideas of what they want their world to look like.

Touches of humor add spice to the tale as Pompey encounters the Novans, punctuated by interpersonal encounters between Romans and Novans that capture compassion and attempts at understanding.

Another powerful facet of the story is an attention to building perceptions and understanding from different perspectives as Romans and tribes encounter one another. These create thought-provoking scenes of not just physical clashes, but psychological and social conflicts as the different peoples vie for control of their lives and futures, and the societies they will build. Gentry is particularly adept at contrasting these peoples and their ideals through a blend of exciting action and thought-provoking approaches to culture-blending that reflects the thinking and methodology of Roman and tribal worlds alike.

Most alternative histories offer but trappings of possibility based on the melding of history and fantasy. Gentry goes beyond the usual one-dimensional approach to portraying conflicts and emphasizing differences to reveal the heart of what makes disparate peoples join, survive, and adapt to the realities of their very different worlds.

Perhaps this story is also influenced by the author's background, which includes military service and a rural Iowan upbringing, which introduced him to camping and the wilderness. Both facets are incorporated into a history that comes alive under his hand, offering many surprising twists that keep readers thinking. As in the unusually revealing introduction that covers traditional and alternative history choices, Gentry creates an intriguing Postscript to his story that further covers the choices he had and made in tailoring the outcome of this plot. The result is a vivid saga that will draw thinking readers through a finely balanced art of conflict, psychological tension, and social and political reflection.

Ideally, Nova Roma: De Itinere in Occasum will be chosen not just for libraries interested in history and alternative history renditions, but by book clubs interested in a story that goes beyond the physical trappings of historical differences to probe the mindsets and shifts that lead to different outcomes.

Nova Roma 2: Quaestu pro Nova Terra
Anderson Gentry
Crimson Dragon Publishing
https://crimsondragonpublishing.com
9781944644390, $18.99 Paper/$8.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Nova-Roma-Quaestu-pro-Terra/dp/1944644393

Readers of the first alternative history story in Nova Roma (De Itinere in Occasum) will find this second book follows the new Republic-building challenges and processes more thoroughly, continuing the story set in the foundations of the New World with the meeting of minds between the merchant-oriented Roman world and the Native American cultures it encounters in Nova Roma.

Here, the next steps in the saga play out against a changed geographical setting which influences how the Romans will enter and conquer the vast lands of the West. The clashes between the handful of Caesarian loyalists, who followed the emigrants fleeing the Roman Civil War, play out on a larger landscape of ideology and physical might as new forces (the Maya) enter the picture. This introduces further challenges and changes to the cultures intent upon building a new nation in a new world.

The conquest of the American West thus assumes a cloak of many differences as events play out and explorers and natives consider their choices. "Even the gods change in time." But, the wisdom and differences between peoples introduces elements of choice and perception into the story which are thought-provoking and intriguing. Vivid battle scenes embrace Roman attackers and Novan world-building forces as Legionaries, Centurions, and other disparate forces struggle to wield and reinforce their visions of what this new world can bring in terms of riches and nation-building efforts.

Gentry is particularly adept at using these physical clashes to illustrate the evolving and changing ideology of different peoples as they play out their ideals and consider which political and social forces to maintain and which are worth jettisoning. This sets the entire series well apart from books that claim alternative history status, but operate on one-dimension levels of physical battles alone.

Nova Roma 2: Quaestu pro Nova Terra and its predecessor is clearly a very different kind of alternate history that demands of its reader a series of thought-provoking revelations about nation-building ideals and how cultures not just clash, but integrate.

Libraries, readers, and book clubs seeking exciting, fresh, original historical and alternate history insights will find both books powerful standouts from the crowd, highly recommended for their unique blend of creative extrapolation and real history contrasts.

Codename: Parsifal
Martin Roy Hill
www.martinroyhill.com
32-32 North, Publisher
https://www.3232northpublishing.com
9798218182496, $3.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Codename-Parsifal-Martin-Roy-Hill-ebook/dp/B0C4472GN6

Codename: Parsifal is a World War II thriller that operates on the stage of religious destiny and historical events. It revolves around the legendary Spear of Destiny, the Roman Legionnaire's lance that pierced Christ's body as he hung on the cross. The holder of this spear is said to be destined to become a great conqueror. But lose it, and all achievements and life will be lost.

Prior to World War II, Hitler stole that spear. Just before his defeat, he lost it. Its promise and power is such that three competing teams struggle to unearth it and wield its powers, but before they achieve their goals, the world will change yet again.

Martin Roy Hill employs a fine blend of military clashes and ideological challenges in his story, injecting revealing emotional facets into real-life characters to heighten the sense of both intrigue and discovery. The process of retrieving this legendary spear is also made more compellingly realistic by the real history that is presented alongside the thriller components and fictional overlay.

From the back-and-forth movements and potential of the elusive and powerful spear to SS interactions and military operations, the thriller component is thoroughly embedded in a fluctuating story of evil, the occult, and true believers.

Readers who like their thrillers steeped in the overlay of real World War II events will find the intersection of fiction and nonfiction to be compelling components in this story of fiery confrontations, changing battles, and ideologies that promote powerful new alliances and perceptions.

Hill is especially adept at capturing the cultural clashes between Germans, Russians, and people who find not only their lives, but their political alliances on the line. The result is a gripping story that is vivid in its presentation, fast-paced in its action, impossible to predict, and hard to put down.

Libraries and readers seeking military intrigue and thriller encounters that are supercharged with action and satisfying twists and turns will find Codename: Parsifal just the ticket for those seeking a thoroughly forceful read. (Note: no prior World War II history is required in order to enjoy this heart-stopping, action-packed story.)

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review