Westfield Charlie
Airman 1st Class
I have just had the opportunity to review an historical novel on WWI written by a history professor. It's called To End All War, by Nicholas Lambros. Available on Amazon. Here's my review:
To End All War
Nicholas Lambros
iUniverse, 557 pages, (paperback) $28.95, 9781491743836
There is much to appreciate in this historical novel about three idealistic Americans drawn into the War to End All War. John, Michael and Catherine Morris each come of age amidst the carnage and horror that forever dashed the optimism of the Victorian age. Struggling to survive, find love and meaning, each discovers "there are no winners in war, only two kinds of losers—big losers and bigger losers."
Using meticulous research and real life examples like which add a genuine note to the novel, like Michael's letter to his black family chauffeur, Lambros does a praiseworthy job "to inspire student interest in the Great War," that nearly eradicated an entire generation of young men, slaughtering hundreds of thousands in senseless bloodbaths fought over a few short yards of gory, shell-torn mud.
It's in the aerial battle scenes that this novel shines with engaging descriptions of WWI flying gear, airplanes and the Lafayette Escadrille. "Parson and the Albatross became a writhing tangle in the sky, performing crazy loops, rolls, and turns, each trying to get behind the other." The author also admirably presents understandable Black and Cockney dialect and liberally flavors the novel with a healthy serving of French phrases (immediately translated).
But like Albert the Cockney cabby who befriends John Morris, the tour guide in the author is "impossible to suppress." As the novel dances between history, tour and novel, the abundance of details often seems more like a travelogue, especially in the beginning, where the pace tends to drag.
Readers should also note that the narrative contains minor copy editing and composition errors throughout.
But for a display of life and war in 1916-1918, it's well worth reading.
To End All War
Nicholas Lambros
iUniverse, 557 pages, (paperback) $28.95, 9781491743836
There is much to appreciate in this historical novel about three idealistic Americans drawn into the War to End All War. John, Michael and Catherine Morris each come of age amidst the carnage and horror that forever dashed the optimism of the Victorian age. Struggling to survive, find love and meaning, each discovers "there are no winners in war, only two kinds of losers—big losers and bigger losers."
Using meticulous research and real life examples like which add a genuine note to the novel, like Michael's letter to his black family chauffeur, Lambros does a praiseworthy job "to inspire student interest in the Great War," that nearly eradicated an entire generation of young men, slaughtering hundreds of thousands in senseless bloodbaths fought over a few short yards of gory, shell-torn mud.
It's in the aerial battle scenes that this novel shines with engaging descriptions of WWI flying gear, airplanes and the Lafayette Escadrille. "Parson and the Albatross became a writhing tangle in the sky, performing crazy loops, rolls, and turns, each trying to get behind the other." The author also admirably presents understandable Black and Cockney dialect and liberally flavors the novel with a healthy serving of French phrases (immediately translated).
But like Albert the Cockney cabby who befriends John Morris, the tour guide in the author is "impossible to suppress." As the novel dances between history, tour and novel, the abundance of details often seems more like a travelogue, especially in the beginning, where the pace tends to drag.
Readers should also note that the narrative contains minor copy editing and composition errors throughout.
But for a display of life and war in 1916-1918, it's well worth reading.
