One of the things I like about Chris Evans is his wonderful
titles, I last said this several years ago when I reviewed Ashes
of Black Frost. I highly
recommend that you read both The
Light of Burning Shadows and Darkness
Formed in Fire and the previous mentioned Ashes. The Iron Elves trilogy was excellent. Evans did not let me down with this
book. A fantasy based on the Vietnam
War was almost a bit too much reality.
Fire breathing dragons become much more intense when associated in your
mind with napalm. This book focuses on
an embattled kingdom mired in a foreign conflict with little support from home. Sound familiar?
The characters and scenarios were vivid and gritty. Illustrating the depth of passion for your
squad over more nebulous ideals such as religion or patriotism was masterfully
done by Evans. The frustration and
despair of the Vietnam
era was not just read but felt.
"Anything for the greater good" is an amazingly
frightening motto that is reflected all to often in justification for events
that appall normal people.
This wasn't just a good story, it was a tangible reminder of
what the "boots on the ground" go through in any conflict regardless
of it's purported value.
How many times and in how many ways has it been said that if
those who made the decisions to go to war were the ones that actually had to
fight the war, there would be so much less war?
I don't care what your political beliefs may be, none of us
should ever downplay the sacrifices that our kids, our troops, make for
us. Right or wrong they are our
siblings, parents or progeny and must be respected for what they do. Which admittedly digresses from my
review. This is what a good book should
do though, make you think, make you take a second or a third look at the status
quo or "accepted" behavior.
Chris Evans you wrote not only an entertaining novel but a
terrific thought provoking commentary with historic perspective.
THANK YOU!
Web site: http://chrisevansauthor.com/
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.
No comments:
Post a Comment