Review: A Tour De Forc of a Book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 10, 2013
This book takes you on a dark thrilling ride, moving at breakneck pace through a multitude of twists and turns; each chapter leaves you hungry to keep reading, never knowing what is in store over the net page, but sure that it will be both unexpected and engrossing. As soon as you open the book, you are immediately thrust into the world of Viking and Saxon Britain, narrated from the perspective of bloodthirsty Viking commander, Thorkild. In a few short pages a grim scenario of battle, murder, rape and revenge plays out vividly before your eyes. With a turn of the page, you are abruptly thrust into the skies above wartime Britain, at the helm of a German plane and about to drop a bomb. The book continues forward, constantly moving between the perspectives of different characters in different situations. The author has a fantastic ability to immediately bring each scenario to life; the reader experiences every nuance of the surroundings and situation as if really there, immersed in the action.The author has an incredible talent for description, picking out simple details of each scene that show you so much more than many writers could tell you with a whole paragraph. Through this, he builds a vivid picture of the surroundings, to the point that it sometimes feels more like you are watching a movie than reading a book. The real magic is worked through the author's depiction of each character's thoughts, feelings, motivations, conflicts and desires though. We are led into the deepest recesses of the characters' minds, instantly accessing all the flawed and ugly thoughts that are normally hidden from view in anyone but ourselves. It takes real guts to write this way. You have to be ready to put out there thoughts that you would never normally voice. Thoughts that we all have, but which in the name of decency and social integration we keep to ourselves. The nature of these thoughts and feelings means that they are rarely discussed, so it takes guts to assert that we all have experiences like this that the reader can relate to. The effect is incredible, rendering every character completely 3D and allowing the reader to experience the thrill of knowing another mind as though it were their own.The plot of the book is exciting, and unfolds brilliantly as each scene is played out. You are always given enough information to make every scene relevant and interesting, but enough is held back to keep you constantly guessing where you're being led. The book has a deeper level than the surface plot though. Through the thoughts, dialogues, insights, desires and actions of the characters, the author weaves an illuminating discourse on the nature of love, lust, illusion, pretence, madness, existence, time and human nature. It takes rare skill to incorporate quite so much through the use of words both written and unwritten. This is a tour de force of a book. The author is definitely one to watch.