Review: A History-Spanning Thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 13, 2014
There are few tropes more popular these days than the dead rising and devouring the living, but Peter Middleton’s ‘The Britannia Conspiracy’ takes the idea in a whole new direction. An army of the dead has risen, and only the brave actions of a few stalwart citizens can prevent the evil plans of Liberius, the ancient leader of the soldiers. Before long, even Governments from across the world get involved in the invasion, and the story progresses in ways that are action-packed and exciting the whole way through.To begin, the layout of the book itself deserves praise. With every one of the 91 Chapters beginning with an exact time, Middleton shows that he is dedicated to providing a realistic experience to the reader. Sometimes, the action gets frantic as the point of view switches between a rather large list of characters, so having the timeframe laid out before the reader really helps towards keeping everything straight.Further, there are images within the book itself, diagrams that show floor plans, for example, to give the reader a better idea of what things look like. In the midst of the chaos within the plot, these visual aids kept everything straight in my mind throughout the story. Too often, it seems authors in the e-book world put their stories together in haphazard layouts that do not convert well to different devices, but I was able to read Middleton’s story on everything. This shows that the author has invested a lot of time in ensuring a good reading experience for us.Middleton’s prose in this e-book is excellent. His pacing is superb – he can keep me interested during high-velocity action scenes as well as during cups of tea with high-class dignitaries. He combines real world monuments and historical facts, then mixes them up with his own delicious blend of weirdness and the supernatural. There were times while reading this book that I found it necessary to stop for a while just to absorb all of the information that was coming my way. At first, the information seemed almost too much, but as I began to get a feel for Middleton’s informative writing style, I enjoyed all the facts as much as I did the fiction.The characters in the story are all quite memorable. Sam and Jessica are two of my favorites, and their interplay throughout the novel tied everything together for me. The combination of excellent storytelling and surreal moments make Jessica, trident in hand, a one-of-a-kind character in particular. Other characters are equally intriguing, such as Ackerman and the Dean, both of whom deserve a mention.The villain, Liberius, is excellently crafted. His antagonism is special because we learn why it is he became the way he is, and his ancient story is one that I enjoyed throughout the whole novel. I find a great villain to be central to a great story, and Middleton did not disappoint with Liberius, because not only do we see all the horrid things that he does, but we understand why he was doing it, and so we can almost empathize with him.‘The Britannia Conspiracy’ is a fast-paced, addictive thriller with something in it for everyone. Conspiracy, action, the undead, and a dark sense of humor propel this novel into a truly memorable experience that no one should miss. Without a doubt, Peter Middleton has shown with this novel that he is an expert literary craftsman in the thriller genre, and I for one cannot wait to get my hands on another one of his books. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes historical thrillers, supernatural adventures, zombie stories, or anything in between.