Official Review: The Unconquered by Peter Man
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Official Review: The Unconquered by Peter Man

3 out of 4 stars
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Victoria Solana lived a quiet life with her adoptive parents, Michael and Angela, in a small town in Canada: Dundas (west of Toronto). Their house was not only their home but also the home of one of the most sought after books, The Book of Secrets. Victoria was not bothered about who her biological parents were because Michael and Angela showered her with all the love that she ever needed. However, things changed in a split second when both her parents died in a car accident. With his last words, Michael ordered Victoria Solana to follow certain instructions that would help her discover her identity. The sixteen-year-old Victoria finds herself in a world without the people who loved her unconditionally. Could she make it on her own in a cruel world?
The Unconquered Children of the Divine Fire by Peter Man follows the story of Victoria Solana, the protagonist of the story, as she traverses different periods (the past, the present, and the future) to search for her identity. The book consists of 52 chapters in 300+ pages. While narrating Victoria’s story, the author takes the reader through the history of Chinese mythology, art history, and a futuristic view of the world. All the aspects of the novel are interwoven in an exciting science fiction story.
The novel is very engaging and takes the reader through different phases of Victoria’s life. Victoria and her biological parents assume different identities in different timelines. I was glad to pick all the clues that the author dropped along the way, which helped me to connect the dots about the identity of each of the characters and how each of the stories led to the next chapter in the life of Victoria. I must say it was quite a challenging puzzle to solve at first.
I loved how the author dug deep into Chinese history. This made him give a detailed account of how China rose from ashes to beauty. I enjoyed learning about the different historical figures in Chinese history, such as Confucius. The most stunning lesson was that of the rise of a poor orphan, who later became a beggar monk (due to the wars and oppression in China) and ended up being the powerful Chinese leader, Ming Taizu. His wife, Queen Ma, supported him unconditionally. Their descendants would later become the founders of the largest companies in China and in the world today: Alibaba and Tencent.
I loved how the author brought out the theme of the ‘Big Lie’ versus the truth. This helped me to understand the economic differences between China and the West, including America. Those who love to learn more about the relationship between China and America will appreciate this aspect of the book.
I did not like two issues about the book. The author included a lot of promotional material for the book in the first few pages of the copy that I read. I do not like it when such happens, especially at the beginning of the book because it sends a message that the author is trying too hard to get the book to be read. I found my mind screaming, “Please let me ‘discover’ the book on my own.” However, not every reader will be offended by such. The book has several errors that would have been eliminated by a round of professional editing. Therefore, I gave The Unconquered Children of the Divine Fire 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it a lower rating because the book is very informative and entertaining. The book has a mild dose of romance, but with no profanity. I recommend it to readers who love sci-fi stories with a bit of romance and historical fiction. However, it has some gory scenes of murder.
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The Unconquered
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