4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
I had finished reading The Aftermath of War and The Skills of Warramunga’s, the second and the third books of the trilogy respectively. I had been persistently avoiding the first book of the historic series The Warramunga’s War assuming it to be war stories. Having enjoyed the remaining books of the series, I got familiar with the writing style of Greg and was sorely tempted to read the first book. This is how I considered reading the book.
If you are hesitant about reading this book assuming it to have devastating war content, please be assured you won't regret your decision to read this novel. The plot of the story is indeed set up during war times, but the story portrays the actions that happen behind the war front that critically involves spying, war strategy planning, activities of the intelligence agents, etc. The Warramunga’s War by Greg Kater is a fascinating Historical War story with an unpredictable twist. It is a very gripping story making it hard to lay down the book.
The beginning of the story is very dynamic. Lieutenant James Munro is at the war field, injured by heavy machine gun firing. Miraculously he is rescued by Sergeant Jack O’Brien utilizing his incredible shooting skills, thanks to his Warramunga inheritance of good sense of precise direction. This is the beginning of their lifelong friendship. They are then posted in Cairo as an intelligence agent on the pretext of recovering from war wounds. They are responsible to acquire information about the activities by their rivals, the Germans and communicate it to their superiors to assist to formulate appropriate battle strategies. Usually, the end of the war would have ended the book, but we are in for a pleasant surprise. Greg gives us an added bonus, and the thrilling story continues at Darwin. Here Sarah, Jacko’s aborigine half-sister voluntarily joins their quest. I enjoyed this part of the story very much. The story keeps you on the edge with the suspense of the war, the thrilling action behind the war field, their mission at Darwin and the impressive tracking skills of Sarah.
The characters are thoroughly well developed. The female characters are all immensely brave, determined and capable. Usually, prostitutes and belly dancers are looked down upon, mistreated and shown as shady characters in stories but Greg has treated them immensely well with respect and dignity. He has presented them as strong and independent females with remarkable spying skills. Greg wisely keeps the story light and cheerful by adding humor and romance. These elements keep you glued to the book and make you crave for more. Greg undoubtedly has an impressive style of writing historical stories. I usually avoid reading History but have undoubtedly enjoyed reading all the three books of the series. Greg, you could rewrite the boring school history books to make it more fun.
The book is professionally edited and would rate it 4 out of 4 stars as I was instantly hooked to the book right from the beginning. The book imbibes suspense, mystery, romance, humor, murder, rape and serial killing. I would recommend the book to readers of all ages seeking a really delightful book.
******
The Warramunga's War
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Shilpa Paul's review? Post a comment saying so!
