3 out of 4 stars
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The Warramunga’s War is an action adventure set in the Middle East during WWII. Lieutenant James Munro is part of the army engineers’ unit attached to the 2/5th Battalion fighting the pro-Nazi Vichy French in Syria and Lebanon. He is pinned down by heavy fire from a machine-gun position and is saved by Corporal Jack O’Brien. Jacko goes off to deliver a list of enemy positions and Jamie is injured by shrapnel from an artillery shell, he is again saved by Jacko who carries him on his back to safety.
After being demobilized from the army, Major James Munro and Warrant Officer Jack O’Brien are assigned to the Commonwealth Investigation Service. The initial assignment for the northern CIS team involves the disappearance of two American engineers suspected of being German operatives during the war. In this part of the book we are introduced to Sarah, Jacko’s half-sister. The two prove to be expert trackers and are instrumental in capturing the gang of kidnappers.
In this, the first of a trilogy, two themes become apparent. The main focus is on the activities of Jamie Munro and his half Warramunga subordinate Jacko in the intelligence service, the other subsidiary focus is the relationship which develops between Jamie, Jacko and Sarah. Jamie thinks that Jacko possesses mystic skills and later we experience more of the Warramunga tracking skills and culture.
Consisting of 298 pages, I found this book easy to read as I was unable to detect any grammatical or typographical errors. The dialogue was where I experienced some difficulty, I thought that the speech was unnatural and consisted of wordy descriptions and explanations. The author seemed more comfortable after chapter 25 where the action moved to Darwin with Australian characters, it was noted that the dialogue became easier. The inclusion of the musical score for the Waterbag Song in chapter 30 was most odd, it appeared that the author created an opportunity to promote his song at that point.
I liked this book because it reminded me of the adventures I enjoyed reading as a teen. The plot is good and it offers a historical view of WWII from a Middle Eastern perspective. I especially liked the romantic connection between Jacko and Monique whose separation leaves us in anticipation for the later installments of the trilogy.
If the dialogue had been more realistic I would have had no choice but to give it a higher rating. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars since I would recommend it as good reading for teens, a lower rating would not do this book justice despite the impulse of wanting to jump to the good parts.
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The Warramunga's War
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