Book Reviews

Always a Hussar by Ray Ellis

2017-01-29 Once a Hussar ended abruptly when Ray Ellis reached home and docked at Liverpool, but there was clearly more story to tell and I was eager to hear it. It started off powerfully enough, with his growing sense of disillusionment, poor treatment by the British Army, and suffering from PTSD. This is something all too important but often missing from WWII military autobiographies, and... Continue reading

Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) by Pierce Brown

2017-01-29 On paper, it’s a Hunger Games clone – but that’s only a superficial comparison. In reality it’s a unique and interesting story in it’s own right. My one complaint is that the world-building is a little thin – something I often see in YA stories – when a little more could have really enriched it. Rating: 4/5 Continue reading

Inish Carraig by Jo Zebedee

2015-09-17 This is an exceptional novel. The pace is incredible, with hard-hitting characters, and a powerful plot. It’s also intelligent, and cleverly juxtaposes the sectarianism of Northern Ireland with that of two different alien races with interests on Planet Earth. The story: John is a fifteen-year old boy, struggling to help his younger brother and sisters survive in a bombed-out Belfast, which has been left... Continue reading

The Raven’s Banquet by Clifford Beal

2014-06-08 The story opens in 1645, after Richard Treadwell’s capture by Parliamentarian forces of Crowell’s New Model Army, in the aftermath of the Battle of Naseby. The account is a First Person narrative, as he seeks to shrive himself of the sins of 20 years ago, during the German campaign, while locked up and awaiting trial. The German campaign provides the main focus for the... Continue reading