A Fleming-esque spy novel that keeps the story moving without ever losing its sense of fun.
A proto-James Bond thriller based loosely (very loosely) on Ian Fleming’s wartime work.
The protagonist of Cooley’s fiction debut calls himself “Ioan” and responds to “Phlegm,” but it won’t take the savvy reader long to figure out who he really is. Who else worked for naval intelligence during World War II before going on to create the world’s most famous spy? Ioan, who has spent the first years of the war longing to get out from behind a desk, is delighted to be sent on a mission to the Belgian Congo, where he is under orders to determine if longtime double agent Dusko Petrovic has gone from spying for the British government to working for the highest bidder. Petrovic, a fictional version of World War II spy Dusko Popov, keeps Ioan guessing about his loyalties as they move from bar to casino to copper mine, on the trail of—or perhaps cooperating with—Nazi officers. In the course of his adventures, Ioan encounters plenty of Bond trademarks, from gadgets to dinner jackets to the perfectly prepared martini, which is introduced by a classic Bond girl, who brings along a web of her own entanglements. The frenetic thriller plot races through a constellation of names, events and places familiar to any World War II buff or fan of Ben Macintyre’s books: Operation Mincemeat, Agent Zigzag, Double Cross, among others. The book’s greatest strength is that it plausibly incorporates historical fact without ever taking itself too seriously, always ready to wink at another Bond artifact. While the writing itself is not always spectacular, the reader is likely to be turning the pages too quickly to notice.
A Fleming-esque spy novel that keeps the story moving without ever losing its sense of fun.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 342
Publisher: Melnore Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Disturbing and consistent in tone, yet too often weighed down by opaqueness.
In Young’s debut novel, a fugitive writer works feverishly to document his life before his past catches up to him.
For three days Paul sits on his fire escape overlooking the busy streets of New York City, jotting down an account of his life from his humble beginnings to what he sees as his coming end. The overly self-aware Paul has several reasons to be here: He’s found little success as a poet, the woman he loves has left him, and his aimless wanderings have led him to cause, or at least feel responsibility for, the death of a fellow citizen. While these things weigh heavily on Paul, the catalyst for his manic scribbling is merely that he’s been recognized; he’s not Paul, but rather a fugitive man of many names. He writes now of his first identity as Sam, a fatherless Holden Caulfield in the Connecticut suburbs whose annoyance with anything he finds empty or hypocritical takes a violent turn. Young’s debut crosses mediums, utilizing poetry, playwriting and a loose, stream-of-consciousness style that compliments the prose, conveying the urgency and fatigue Paul experiences. This blend can also be distracting, breaking the heavy tension the author establishes with his protagonist’s unique, darkly comic observations of the mundane and the mortifying. The novel can make readers uncomfortable, and doesn’t shy away from the obscene while humoring its unreliable narrator—even when he’s presented as self-centered and detached. Nearly every relationship in Paul’s life has some sexual undertone—from his best friend to figures in the church to his own mother—further magnifying the unnerving atmosphere. The narrator’s verbose style works both for and against the novel: It captures a personality enchanted with words but unable to truly connect with language, a wannabe-wordsmith “trying too hard.” However, as important as this consistency is, its continued use becomes tedious as some of the book’s more impressive flourishes are lost in the shuffle.
Disturbing and consistent in tone, yet too often weighed down by opaqueness.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2010
ISBN: 978-0615430232
Page Count: 398
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A short, candid book that urges girls to pursue their dreams.
In Johnson’s debut picture book, a father encourages his daughter to reach for the stars.
Full of positive affirmations, the book uses short, inspiring statements to build young girls’ confidence. “Anything is within my reach, if I always love myself,” they’re told. These empowering words are accompanied by an illustration of a young girl sitting behind the U.S. president’s desk. Along with these motivational declarations, the book focuses on the importance of familial support: “My daddy says I can be, because my family believes in me.” That message is coupled with illustrations of a father reading to his daughter and a family of four building a sandcastle on a beach. It’s clear that this is a very personal project for the author, as he appears in the book with his two daughters, Nyla and London. The book’s message is a commendable one: All girls should be encouraged to be strong and independent. However, the narrative would be more effective if expanded and enriched with more detail. The book’s simple statements often rely on illustrations for clarification. The message behind “Anything is within my reach, if I always love myself” is only fully understood next to a picture of a young girl president; without the artwork, the sparse text could remain vague and open to interpretation. The basic illustrations—ranging from a girl playing soccer to a girl praying before bed—are full of bright colors and watercolor backgrounds, echoing the happy, simple quality of the prose.
A short, candid book that urges girls to pursue their dreams.Pub Date: March 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1468555967
Page Count: 24
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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