December 2023 MBR The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Historical Fiction Shelf

The King's Way Home
Thomas Edward Pizur
Independently Published
www.thekingswayhome.com
9780578850924, $15.95, PB, 348pp

https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Way-Home-Hidden-Scrolls/dp/0578850923

Synopsis: The Hidden Scrolls were brought to China by a Syrian monk. They contain a timeless wisdom for humanity and for hundreds of years, they have remained in the East. Now a Chinese master gives Captain Jacob van Horn a sacred mission: Find the one person in the West who is destined to receive the Scrolls' wisdom.

To van Horn's surprise, sixteen-year-old James IV of Scotland is the one he seeks. But Scotland is on the brink of a bloody civil war where James will have to fight his own father for the throne.
In his battles, the young prince must use the Scrolls, along with van Horn's guidance, the love of Margaret Drummond, and a game his father has banned to gain and hold the crown. But another, more important destiny arises within him.

Then a tragic loss strikes at the pinnacle of his success. The Scrolls' wisdom must help him find his way, or James IV will lose not only the throne but a priceless gift meant for the world.

Critique: Original, deftly crafted, featuring a cast of memorable characters, as well as a compelling, narrative driven storytelling style by author Thomas Pizur, "The King's Way Home" will have a particular and special interest for fans of historical fiction, an action/adventure romance set in 15th Century Scotland, and told from a Christian perspective. A fun read from start to finish, "The King's Way Home" is an especially and unreservedly recommend pick for community library Inspirational Fiction & Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The King's Way Home" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Thomas Edward Pizure explored various spiritual traditions including Catholicism, Buddism and Taoism. He studied and taught many forms of martial arts. Then in the 1980's, he watched his older brother, Andrew, struggle to recieve veterans benefits, and then fight the VA to keep them. Since 1987, Thomas has been fortunate enough to assist thousands of US Vets and their families. Listening to their stories, the idea for "The King's Way Home" was born. In his own words: "These people had love and loss, then recovered again through those difficulties. That is the hope. Love is always there. That is the core of my life and the core of my book."

The Idea People
Mike Lubow
Gatekeeper Press
https://gatekeeperpress.com
9781662941818, $12.99, PB, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/Idea-People-Mike-Lubow/dp/1662941811

Synopsis: It is 1987: the "greed is good" era. When anxious ad agency whiz Ben Franklin Green accidentally falls through a wall during a hilarious boardroom presentation, he hops a plane and flies west instead of returning to work. During a nostalgic sojourn in the eucalyptus and marijuana-scented playland of LA's sexy Laurel Canyon, he plans to develop a book with his former mentor about the sham that is the advertising business.

But his plans are short-lived as they get news that his mentor's outdoorsy daughter has been kidnapped while working in the Rocky Mountain wilds. Ben, with the sharp creativity of a Madison Avenue idea man, becomes an unlikely detective as he is reluctantly drawn into the case.

The brisk, irreverent narrative of "The Idea People" is comprised of western-style battles, carnal capers, wild animals, and outlaws presenting uncharacteristic challenges for the urban, neurotic protagonist. There are also love interests, bear encounters, wild horseback rides, a gun belt, an arrow wound, back-country brawls, '80s-style boozing, and an engaging amount of Sherlock Holmes-style ratiocination.

Ben's interest in nature, loyalty to his friends, and an uncanny ability to see what others miss, just might allow him to become a rare bird who finds a new life and love in the Wild West.

Critique: Deftly crafted with a narrative driven storytelling style that fully engages the reader's total attention from start to finish, "The Idea People" by Mike Lubov will have a special attraction to fans of romance and politics, action and adventure, suspense and the Old West. An original and fun read from cover to cover, "The Idea People" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Idea People" is also currently available from Amazon in a digital book format ($0.99).

Editorial Note: Mike Lubow is a Veteran writer and creative director of New York and Chicago ad agencies who has also authored feature articles and the weekly column "Got a Minute" for The Chicago Tribune. His short stories have appeared in magazines around the world, including Playboy, Barcelona Review, Carve, Amarillo Bay Literary Magazine, Blue Moon Review, Etchings of Melbourne Australia, Bravado (Tauranga, N.Z.), and many others. Mike's stories have been anthologized into many books, and he is the creator and author of the online nature journal Two-Fisted Birdwatcher.

Esther
C.M. Huddleston
Interpreting Time's Past Press
9798985267228, $15.99 Print/$6.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Esther-C-M-Huddleston/dp/B0CK3XLLRR

Esther is a highly recommended historical novel for all ages, from young adult through adult readers. It centers on American Revolutionary War history as seen through the eyes of 1800s character Esther, who experiences war, Indian attacks, movements through early American settlements, and shifting family relationships. The times come to life through her eyes and travels as C.M. Huddleston attends to capturing the atmosphere and motivations of late 1700s America and those who lived in these turbulent times: "As the war raged in the east, Indian attacks grew more frequent in the lands across the Appalachians. Despite knowing of and fearing such attacks, men, families, and the militia traveled the far western trails, for such was life in the wilderness. Besides the threats of Indian attacks, all frontier travelers heard tales of robbers, evil men, white like themselves, attacking and killing along the backcountry roads and trails."

The timeline of American history that introduces this milieu may prove daunting to those who want immediate immersion in fictional drama, but it does set the stage for the story's roots in fact. Readers who want immediate gratification and draw can easily look beyond the timeline introduction and refer to it later as Esther's life progresses. As relationships between men and women (and within families) unfold against the backdrop of early American journeys and trails, readers receive a "you are here" feel that cultivates a compelling immediacy and logic to the history embedded in Esther's story. Huddleston is particularly skilled at integrating thoughts and prayers with the routines and concerns of not just Esther, but the community and people she moves among. This creates a wider-ranging sense of place and purpose that helps drive the story line with satisfying psychological and historical insights. Ultimately, these dovetail within Esther's experiences and shifting perspectives about herself, her relationships, and the wider world at large.

As Joshua, Esther, Seth, Lovely, and a disparate range of personable characters come to light, readers will revel in the challenges and courage that also emerge from their experiences and interactions. Esther's ability to reach a wide age range with a compelling saga that's based on primary materials and published resources, yet incorporates the drama and action of fictional creativity, makes it a strong recommendation for libraries and reading groups interested in early American history and novels reflecting the times.

Welcome to Bellechester
Margaret A. Blenkush
www.margaretablenkush.com
Beaver's Pond Press
https://www.beaverspondpress.com
9781643436104, $27.95 Large Print

https://www.margaretablenkush.com

Welcome to Bellechester continues the medical story introduced in the novel The Doctor of Bellechester, which centered on a small village doctor who journeys to London in search of a mentor for his practice and instead encounters new possibilities in American woman Mary Elizabeth. The atmosphere of cozy mystery, suspense, and budding career and personal choices is furthered in this second book, which opens with different circumstances of intrigue and revised potentials, beginning with another confession gained by Detective Inspector William Francis Donnelly. Dr. Harold Merton is not a major figure here, but plays a more minor role, appearing mid-book long after the story has heated up and embraced readers with its special brand of Bellechester community interactions and concerns. As Dr. Basil Applegate and other characters profiled in the first book come to light, readers will find this second story of small village interactions and influences expands the psyches and situations of the first book while building an excellent stand-alone novel steeped in British atmosphere, detective work, and medical issues alike.

The pivot points of this novel opens the doors and definition of "cozy small town" to invite newcomers and prior fans into a read that excels in building relationships, connections, and conundrums stemming from mystery and medical treatments. As in her prior novel, Margaret A. Blenkush is adept at crafting a set of realistic circumstances powered by quiet, believable dramas that play out many different levels. This translates to a realistic feel that uses daily life encounters to build suspense, eschewing the lure of nonstop action in favor of a slower place that builds equally satisfying tension and attraction. Mary Elizabeth begins to feel that there should be something more in her life than her passion for becoming a rural doctor, involving readers in the opportunities, ideals, and issues facing women in the late 1950s.

The result is another fine cozy story that embraces and expands the atmosphere of Bellechester and its residents with an 'everyman', 'everywoman', and 'everytown' appeal that explores the challenges of adopting a foreign locale as one's home. Libraries and readers seeking a story that focuses on how a young woman moves into new possibilities that expand her future and perspectives will find Welcome to Bellechester delightful, pairing a deceptively peaceful countenance with moments of revelation and discovery.

The Rogue and the Jade: Part Two
Steven Clark
Independently Published
9798394683640, $7.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Jade-Part-Two/dp/B0C6BM7FMK

The second part of The Rogue and the Jade odyssey continues the story of 1800s story of Amanda Breakfield, on a prison ship to Australia, who is taken by the ship's captain to be his concubine. In short order, she faces an assassin, increment weather, and challenges that include being captured by a queen who both covets Amanda's special form of magic and wants to adopt her as a daughter. Amanda's search for the truth and justice has landed her in precarious positions, but she must overcame everything fate has given her in order to survive and realize both freedom and vengeance.

Familiarity with Steven Clark's first story will lend a fine sense of continuity to Amanda's evolving life as she continues to move far from her life in Regency England to embark on a voyage of discovery and romance aboard the Jade and among peoples who both revere and revile her. As she moves to the opposite ends of the earth from all that she loves and all that is familiar, Amanda's encounter with powerful women gives her not only new opportunities for escape, but new revelations about women's relationships and belief systems. Her God is one of love. But some who encounter her are sure she is a demon.

Clark provides a rollicking good adventure and action story which cements its progress and purposes with strong female characters and interactions between native and White communities alike. These evolving connections and the new ideas that stem from them receive enlightening discourse as Amanda struggles against adversity and new ideas in different ways: "You are allowed your cross god. It is a god with much magic. But you are my daughter. You are one with the world, and have your home." The result is a vivid story of plots, survival methods, and the gift of magic and discovery which traverses impossible conditions to form new connections. Followers of Amanda's adventures in the first The Rogue and the Jade book will find the same attention to character-building detail, revelation, and growth builds further trails and new possibilities for Amanda, Jack, and the people they encounter on their journey.

The Rogue and the Jade Part Three: Mandee
Steven Clark
Independently Published
9798394683640, $7.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Jade-Part-Two/dp/B0C6BM7FMK

Picking up where Book Two left the door more than ajar for more is the third book in the Rogue and the Jade trilogy, which opens with Amanda's near-disastrous escape attempt. Jack Hobb rescues her and bears her back home, but she has not thoroughly escaped adversity yet. Waiting for her are the charges and influences which led to her world-hopping adventure in the first place. This time, she is forced to confront them in new ways as she reconciles the survival lessons of a captive that challenge her sense of home and place, leading her into uncharted waters. As Amanda and Jack face their love for one another against the hold of Mateah and impossible odds, readers swept into the magic of the trilogy from the first two books in the series receive a thought-provoking series of clashes in which Amanda must choose between her roots and the island clan that has adopted her as one of theirs.

Black and white line drawings pepper the story (as in the previous books) as Amanda finds her way through new circumstances and life "brushes away all confrontation and fury." Prior followers of the trilogy will be the best audience for this riveting conclusion to Amanda's adventures because characters and situations from the prior books continue to receive embellishment and enlightenment here. This leads to a satisfying conclusion that frays the tempers and purposes of a wide range of characters from different walks of life. Amanda's struggles over finally finding home and purpose power a novel that is multifaceted and as able to draw romance and Regency readers as it is those who look for swashbuckling action and vivid battle scenes.

Libraries seeing popularity with the prior two Rogue and the Jade stories will want to place this conclusion on their 'must acquire' lists. It's an inviting survey of power plays, women's evolving strengths, and the world-building choices men and women face as they seek to reinvent themselves.

The Stratford Devil
Claude Clayton Smith
Shanti Arts
https://shantiarts.co
9781962082068, $19.95, PB, 182pp

https://www.amazon.com/Stratford-Devil-Claude-Clayton-Smith/dp/1962082067

Synopsis: In the spring of 1651, nearly half a century before the infamous witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts, a woman known as Goody Bassett was hanged for witchcraft in Stratford, Connecticut. In the spring of 2023, nearly four centuries later, the State of Connecticut absolved all those accused of witchcraft, removing the stigma that their families have needlessly borne.

Few facts are known about Goody Bassett and the events surrounding her persecution. "The Stratford Devil" by Claude Clayton Smith is a haunting and moving historical novel, deftly crafted from those few facts (as well as detailed accounts of Stratford's early history), is the story of young Ruth Paine (later known as Goodwife Bassett) and how her singular experience beyond the confines of her Puritan world ultimately leads to her demise.

Rich in historical insight, "The Stratford Devil" gives a touching look into the isolated world of an independent woman as she struggles to survive in circumstances beyond her control. With its focus on religion and terror, "The Stratford Devil" is a parable for our time.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, riveting, and compelling work of fiction that is essentially inspired by historical fact, "The Stratford Devil" will prove to be of immense attraction to readers with an interest in the 17th Century American history with respect to witches, witchcraft, the gender-based role of women, and the cultural/religious beliefs of the Puritans. While an especial and unreserved pick for community and college/university library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Stratford Devil" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Claude Clayton Smith, (www.claudeclaytonsmith.wordpress.com) is Professor Emeritus of English, Ohio Northern University, and the author of eight books and co-editor/translator of four. His own work has been translated into five languages, including Russian and Chinese. This is his fourth book with Shanti Arts. He holds a DA from Carnegie-Mellon, an MFA in fiction from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, an MAT from Yale, and a BA from Wesleyan. He was a finalist for the 2022 First Pages Prize and winner of the 2021 Great Midwest Fiction Contest.

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