Review of A Long Night of Chaos
-
Frances Ballard
- Posts: 5
- Joined: 02 Aug 2021, 16:53
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 4
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-frances-ballard.html
- Latest Review: How My Brain Works by Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin
Review of A Long Night of Chaos
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Long Night of Chaos" by Paul Clark.]
Political intrigue and a true sense of national pride keep the reader turning page after page in the second installment of the Ruslan Shanidza novel series by Paul Clark. In A Long Night of Chaos, Ksordian's favorite son sees his homeland getting ready for war after the fall of the Soviet Union and cannot sit idly by enjoying his happy life abroad. Ruslan Shanidza, national marathon runner and Olympic champion, focuses on running a different kind of marathon, crossing back and forth across hostile militant lines to gain peace for his beloved country. Aided by political friends and threatened by old enemies, Ruslan refuses to give up until there is peace in the newly independent country for all factions living in the war-torn area, even if it means losing his life.
Even though the stories and countries involved are fictional, the story for the need to feel heard and at home where the people live after the Soviet Union breaks apart is all too real. The story of Ksordia and Akhtaria could easily be any of the foundling countries near Russia and in Eastern Europe searching for the right mix of old politics and the new regime.
The political speeches given in the book by Ruslan are both the best and the worst of the novel. When Ruslan speaks to different groups, his speeches are honest and sincere. The audience responds with such a swelling of national pride, the reader also feels it. Ruslan's speeches are inspiring, but also long-winded for a reader. After one page of reading his speech, I could imagine hearing the speech as if in a movie, but it was easy to lose interest after the second and third pages of his speeches. I wanted to feel as if I was a part of it, but it went on for too long to keep me interested throughout the entirety of the speech. Another part of the book that caused me to lose interest was during political strategy meetings. At times, I felt like the strategists were clairvoyant because of the detail of what the political teams expected during Ruslan's travels.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the use of popular Soviet-era cars and weapons and the sense of national pride. The editing of this novel seemed professional, with only a few minor errors noticed while reading.
I would recommend anyone who enjoys political thrillers and an interest in post-Soviet era times to read this novel. Also, because this novel is the second in a series of three, I think reading the continuation of the series would be very interesting for those who started with the first in the series.
******
A Long Night of Chaos
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Political intrigue and a true sense of national pride keep the reader turning page after page in the second installment of the Ruslan Shanidza novel series by Paul Clark. In A Long Night of Chaos, Ksordian's favorite son sees his homeland getting ready for war after the fall of the Soviet Union and cannot sit idly by enjoying his happy life abroad. Ruslan Shanidza, national marathon runner and Olympic champion, focuses on running a different kind of marathon, crossing back and forth across hostile militant lines to gain peace for his beloved country. Aided by political friends and threatened by old enemies, Ruslan refuses to give up until there is peace in the newly independent country for all factions living in the war-torn area, even if it means losing his life.
Even though the stories and countries involved are fictional, the story for the need to feel heard and at home where the people live after the Soviet Union breaks apart is all too real. The story of Ksordia and Akhtaria could easily be any of the foundling countries near Russia and in Eastern Europe searching for the right mix of old politics and the new regime.
The political speeches given in the book by Ruslan are both the best and the worst of the novel. When Ruslan speaks to different groups, his speeches are honest and sincere. The audience responds with such a swelling of national pride, the reader also feels it. Ruslan's speeches are inspiring, but also long-winded for a reader. After one page of reading his speech, I could imagine hearing the speech as if in a movie, but it was easy to lose interest after the second and third pages of his speeches. I wanted to feel as if I was a part of it, but it went on for too long to keep me interested throughout the entirety of the speech. Another part of the book that caused me to lose interest was during political strategy meetings. At times, I felt like the strategists were clairvoyant because of the detail of what the political teams expected during Ruslan's travels.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the use of popular Soviet-era cars and weapons and the sense of national pride. The editing of this novel seemed professional, with only a few minor errors noticed while reading.
I would recommend anyone who enjoys political thrillers and an interest in post-Soviet era times to read this novel. Also, because this novel is the second in a series of three, I think reading the continuation of the series would be very interesting for those who started with the first in the series.
******
A Long Night of Chaos
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: How My Brain Works by Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin
