Review of Crossroads of Empire
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felixfuracao
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Review of Crossroads of Empire
[Following is a volunteer review of "Crossroads of Empire" by Michael J Cooper.]
Upon perusing the sample, I felt like I had to read the rest of Crossroads of Empire. Despite not having read the first book in the series, I found the overall experience enjoyable.
It has a large cast of characters; some fictional and some based on real historical figures, with varying degrees of fictionalization. The chapters alternate between characters and locations, which initially made it difficult for me to follow (although this may be due to my unfamiliarity with the first book and with some of the historical figures).
Most chapters are in the third person, with only one chapter written from a first person point of view. They are mostly short, which I didn't mind, as it helped with the digestibility of the complex narrative. The author knew exactly how much to reveal and conceal; which chapters to end in cliffhangers. At several points I found myself surprised by the twists, which made the story all the more riveting to me. It's definitely well-written.
Giving a character amnesia is a common trope for driving a plot, and can backfire depending on its execution. When reading the chapters following the character with amnesia, I was apprehensive of how it would play out. Ultimately, however, I felt positive about how it was penned.
No literary work is perfect, of course, and there were aspects of the book I felt unsure about, though this may be due to my shallow understanding of some of the topics, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict in WWI. After reading this book, I feel like I should look more into some of the subjects it mentions.
At the end of the book, there is a part that names and describes the historical figures mentioned in the book, with clarifications on how they differ from their fictional counterparts. There is also a suggested further reading section listing academic texts related to the historical subjects in the book.
Although I believe that fictional media does not necessarily have an obligation to be faithful to reality, I appreciate that the author thought to include this. It shows an attention to detail that should, in my opinion, be more commonplace.
As for mistakes, I only noticed one or two that did not appear to be intentional, which were missing punctuation marks. The book was professionally edited and it shows.
I have rated this book 5/5 due to how compelled I felt while reading it, and the skilful way in which it was written. For enjoyers of historical fiction, Crossroads of Empire is bound to be a gripping read.
******
Crossroads of Empire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Upon perusing the sample, I felt like I had to read the rest of Crossroads of Empire. Despite not having read the first book in the series, I found the overall experience enjoyable.
It has a large cast of characters; some fictional and some based on real historical figures, with varying degrees of fictionalization. The chapters alternate between characters and locations, which initially made it difficult for me to follow (although this may be due to my unfamiliarity with the first book and with some of the historical figures).
Most chapters are in the third person, with only one chapter written from a first person point of view. They are mostly short, which I didn't mind, as it helped with the digestibility of the complex narrative. The author knew exactly how much to reveal and conceal; which chapters to end in cliffhangers. At several points I found myself surprised by the twists, which made the story all the more riveting to me. It's definitely well-written.
Giving a character amnesia is a common trope for driving a plot, and can backfire depending on its execution. When reading the chapters following the character with amnesia, I was apprehensive of how it would play out. Ultimately, however, I felt positive about how it was penned.
No literary work is perfect, of course, and there were aspects of the book I felt unsure about, though this may be due to my shallow understanding of some of the topics, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict in WWI. After reading this book, I feel like I should look more into some of the subjects it mentions.
At the end of the book, there is a part that names and describes the historical figures mentioned in the book, with clarifications on how they differ from their fictional counterparts. There is also a suggested further reading section listing academic texts related to the historical subjects in the book.
Although I believe that fictional media does not necessarily have an obligation to be faithful to reality, I appreciate that the author thought to include this. It shows an attention to detail that should, in my opinion, be more commonplace.
As for mistakes, I only noticed one or two that did not appear to be intentional, which were missing punctuation marks. The book was professionally edited and it shows.
I have rated this book 5/5 due to how compelled I felt while reading it, and the skilful way in which it was written. For enjoyers of historical fiction, Crossroads of Empire is bound to be a gripping read.
******
Crossroads of Empire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
