Review of The Fall of the Saudeleurs

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Bertha Jackson
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Review of The Fall of the Saudeleurs

Post by Bertha Jackson »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Fall of the Saudeleurs" by Gerald R Knight.]
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Fall of the Saudeleurs by Gerald R. Knight is Book Four in The Legends of Lainjin series. Ijokelekel's mother had always told him he had a pali named Pako that would teach him all he needed to know to survive. Once he found Pako, he was to give him a lime and tell him he was the son of Nahn Sapwe. Lañinpo tries to tell Ijokelekel that his mother's death was an accident, but he believes the little akebu killed her. Blaming the akebu and the Saudeleur because they brought cannibals to Pophnpei, Ijokelekel steals Lañinpo's canoe to hunt down Pako to learn how to fight the Saudeleur and return his stone village to the commoners for whom their ancestors had built it. Does Ijokelekel successfully avenge his mother's death and return the village to the commoners? What are an akebu and a pali?

Gerald R. Knight did an excellent job of tying Ijokelekel's mother's death in a previous book in the series into this one, keeping the story flowing from one book to the next. His skill in tying each series book to the next one allows readers to read the books in any order they wish. I appreciated that the chants used by the characters were in italics to separate them from the rest of the narrative. The author provided footnotes at the bottom of each page, a glossary, and a bibliography to help readers understand unfamiliar words or actions performed by the natives in the Marshall Islands. Each character is fully developed, from the descriptions of their tattoos to their manner of dress and personality. This thought-provoking book has many moral lessons that the island natives lived by. One of my favorites was about the younger generation having to learn from the older generation before adding their own stories and making their own mistakes. The characters' navigation of canoes in the ocean, their primitive weapons, reliance on coconuts, fearlessness in swimming with sharks, and other customs like "jib in jowi" were interesting to read.

I found no negatives in this book. There are difficult words to understand, but as I said, the author has defined them the first time they are used and then again in the glossary. Sometimes, I forgot them and had to refer to their references, but I consider that a personal problem and not a negative aspect of the book. The story's ending came as a complete surprise, but I should have seen it coming.

This well-written book's smooth-flowing and action-packed plot allows me to give it 5 out of 5 stars. I found no reason to give this professionally edited book a lower rating because it was a joy to read.

Anyone interested in reading historical fiction about the Marshall Islands will enjoy this book. I caution readers that this book is about cannibalism and has gory and descriptive sexual content. Sexual acts are not described; however, body parts and enticement activities are vividly described.

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The Fall of the Saudeleurs
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Post by Paul Link »

Thank you so much for your review of The Fall of the Saudeleurs! I'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed the book, and I appreciate your thoughtful comments. It's great to know that you found the author's writing to be skillful and thought-provoking, and that you appreciated his attention to detail in developing the characters and their customs. As someone who often struggles with unfamiliar vocabulary, I'm pleased to see that you thought the definitions and notes were helpful, and it's good to know that the glossary was extensive enough to make most of the words clear. I completely understand your concern regarding the gory and sexual content of the book, so thank you for the warning. I look forward to reading more of your reviews in the future!
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Post by Kavita Shah »

Thank you for the review. I really liked that you mentioned there's glossary, it makes it easier to read the book. The names in the summary, they stick out because they feel unfamiliar and I am hoping they make sense to me. It makes me want to read the book.
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Post by Hazel Mae Bagarinao »

I found the author's choice of names interesting. It's a challenge to pronounce it at the beginning but it makes the book more unique to read. Your review, Bertha, is always amazing to read; straightforward, and concise.
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Post by Chris Agbara »

Thank you for sharing your insightful review of "The Fall of the Saudeleurs"! I appreciate the author's ability to connect the events from the previous book to this one seamlessly. The glossary and footnotes provided by the author make this an ideal book for readers to understand the unfamiliar customs and terminology. I look forward to reading this well-written book.
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