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Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 04 Oct 2019, 14:02
by ab2020
This book brings to life an era and a place not often written about. What did you think of this? What did you learn about post-WWII Malaysia, and what else would you like to know?
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 05 Oct 2019, 21:43
by Dorcas Serwaa Adu
Well, that's one interesting thing about books. They help to discover, criticise and correct the wrongs of society. In actual sense, it being about an era and place not often written about makes the book more captivating. Like everything else, humans love new things and will like to explore more. For this reason, once one starts reading the book, it becomes a new addictive drug they can't stop taking
. Though, I haven't completed the book, I can tell the place is just like any other place, it has its good and bad. While people try to push forward, the anti progress minded ones will do anything to sabotage that. What I'll like to learn more about is the culture or way of life of the people way back before the era the author wrote about and also how it is at the moment.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 06 Oct 2019, 05:27
by Akpome1
Yes! In my research about the book, I discovered that the criminals' aim was to disrupt the creation of the Malayan Union by the British Military Authority set to take place on the 1st of April 1946. That is one thing about authors. They don't just write anything for writing sake. They try to portray something.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 06 Oct 2019, 10:30
by djr6090
I didn't realize that Malaysia was part of World War II. It does make sense though, as the Japanese were dedicated to subduing the whole Pacific.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 06 Oct 2019, 22:16
by DC Brown
I appreciate how Kater weaves historical facts throughout his books. I've read the other two as well and have learned much about the aborigines, WWII, and its effect on lands unknown to me. I begin to wonder if he was there?
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 07 Oct 2019, 02:12
by DorcasToo
Greg Kater always has a way of weaving and meshing beautiful historical facts into awesome fiction. That's evident in this Malaysian WW 2.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 08 Oct 2019, 10:49
by ReyvrexQuestor Reyes
The book achieves credibility to a great degree because of the good guys' achievement of countering the villains' political agenda, a very plausible threat to a sovereign state's existence. But on the whole, the setting reminds me of the Vietnam War, at least, the jungle warfare.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 08 Oct 2019, 18:10
by LinaMueller
I didn't know anything about the Japanese Kempeitai before reading this book. Greg Kater seems to know a lot about history.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 09 Oct 2019, 15:20
by Sam Ibeh
For a book of this nature, historical fact is a never do without.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 09 Oct 2019, 16:27
by Mallory Porshnev
I love reading about places and time periods that I don't know much about. This book taught me so much about Malaysia, but I would love to learn more about the country.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 10 Oct 2019, 02:16
by Hester3
I also did not know that Malaysia was involved in WWII, but I love to read books about time periods that I am unfamiliar with, especially when the books are well researched and historically correct.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 10 Oct 2019, 03:06
by Howlan
The book touches a bit on the Malayan history and the formation of the Malayan Union and it was quite refreshing as you don't get such details of Malayan history normally.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 10 Oct 2019, 03:50
by Howlan
Dorcas Serwaa Adu wrote: ↑05 Oct 2019, 21:43
Well, that's one interesting thing about books. They help to discover, criticise and correct the wrongs of society. In actual sense, it being about an era and place not often written about makes the book more captivating. Like everything else, humans love new things and will like to explore more. For this reason, once one starts reading the book, it becomes a new addictive drug they can't stop taking
. Though, I haven't completed the book, I can tell the place is just like any other place, it has its good and bad. While people try to push forward, the anti progress minded ones will do anything to sabotage that. What I'll like to learn more about is the culture or way of life of the people way back before the era the author wrote about and also how it is at the moment.
Absolutely agree with you. Such a drug is really sought after by us booklovers.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 10 Oct 2019, 08:46
by AntoineOMEGA
This Novel is really unique because I had no clue Malaysia was part of WW2.
Re: Unusual Topics in Historical Fiction
Posted: 10 Oct 2019, 12:32
by evraealtana
I love it when an author writes a historical fiction novel that makes you want to learn more about the subject on your own - I too had no idea that Malaysia was part of WWII, since it often gets overlooked in history classes, so I had to go look it up to get some background. Learning about the same subject from a professor or a textbook wouldn't be nearly as compelling as learning about it from a novel, but the knowledge is the same in either case.