Review by aacodreanu -- Conflict on the Yangtze
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aacodreanu
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Review by aacodreanu -- Conflict on the Yangtze
[Following is a volunteer review of "Conflict on the Yangtze" by Greg Kater.]
4 out of 4 stars
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In deciding to write this review, I was attracted by the book cover that displays a beautiful Chinese junk (sailboat), and by the title: Conflict on the Yangtze. I then discovered that the book is the fourth in a series written by Greg Kater, the second of which I had also reviewed. So, I am among the target readers of this seductive Australian adventure storyteller.
Even if I was not born at the time when the action of the book is set (1946 or so, right after the end of World War 2), it seems strange to me to place the novel in the "historical" fiction category. Perhaps the speed of the actions and the way they are narrated are such as to make one imagine they are happening just now.
Thus, former intelligence officers Jamie Munro and Jacko O’Brian, at present acting within CSI (Commonwealth Investigations Service), have been asked to help dismantle an opium-producing facility on the Yangtze River. Which they do, enthusiastically and successfully, with the consistent help of American and British officers and organizations: American Office of Strategic Services and British MI6, even of a Japanese policeman, eager to prove that "not all Japanese are bad". Yet the most help they get comes from Jacko’s tiny aborigine half-sister Sarah, who, shy and unobtrusive, saves them and whoever else needs saving (Jamie's wife and Jacko’s father-in-law this time). Mention should be made of Ming, the Chinese wolfdog, who also contributes to the success of the mission in a major way.
The reader is offered vivid descriptions of trips by boat on the Yangtze, by night and day, under attack and in hiding. Shanghai and Beijing hotels and important buildings are described, as well as a variety of people living and working towards their specific purposes, that sometimes cross the interests of our characters’ mission. An acting British Consul General, Sir William Foundling, and Song, one of the four ”families" (Chinese mafia), have a stake in the opium smuggling operation. One of the good characters is beaten to an inch of his life in Kempeitai (Japanese secret police during the war) torture style, others are followed by the Chinese police (dark shirt-wearing agents).
With so much action on his hands, the author spends less time building up his characters, whom we already know from the previous novels of the series. Each of the main characters is allotted a certain gesture or preference that defines him or her: Sarah is shy and speaks pidgin English (but works at improving her ”high” English too), Jacko will drink a cold beer any time he has a chance to, Jamie and Jacko’s wives sprinkle their speeches with French and Spanish, respectively.
Like in The Warramunga’s Aftermath of War, there are two, somewhat separate adventures: one on the Yangtze River, which justifies the title of the book, and then a second one, in the Australian bush, where, again, Sarah and Jacko are the heroes who have the best of the "baddies". While this second adventure is also full of suspense and is pleasurable to follow, it seems to me that it dilutes the contribution of the first to the novel, as a whole.
The book is very well edited: I could not find more than two or three typos.
A really enjoyable lecture for adventure lovers, I cannot but recommend it. Therefore, I award it four out of four stars. I can also see it, or them, i.e. all the novels in the series, turned into a nice TV series.
******
Conflict on the Yangtze
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In deciding to write this review, I was attracted by the book cover that displays a beautiful Chinese junk (sailboat), and by the title: Conflict on the Yangtze. I then discovered that the book is the fourth in a series written by Greg Kater, the second of which I had also reviewed. So, I am among the target readers of this seductive Australian adventure storyteller.
Even if I was not born at the time when the action of the book is set (1946 or so, right after the end of World War 2), it seems strange to me to place the novel in the "historical" fiction category. Perhaps the speed of the actions and the way they are narrated are such as to make one imagine they are happening just now.
Thus, former intelligence officers Jamie Munro and Jacko O’Brian, at present acting within CSI (Commonwealth Investigations Service), have been asked to help dismantle an opium-producing facility on the Yangtze River. Which they do, enthusiastically and successfully, with the consistent help of American and British officers and organizations: American Office of Strategic Services and British MI6, even of a Japanese policeman, eager to prove that "not all Japanese are bad". Yet the most help they get comes from Jacko’s tiny aborigine half-sister Sarah, who, shy and unobtrusive, saves them and whoever else needs saving (Jamie's wife and Jacko’s father-in-law this time). Mention should be made of Ming, the Chinese wolfdog, who also contributes to the success of the mission in a major way.
The reader is offered vivid descriptions of trips by boat on the Yangtze, by night and day, under attack and in hiding. Shanghai and Beijing hotels and important buildings are described, as well as a variety of people living and working towards their specific purposes, that sometimes cross the interests of our characters’ mission. An acting British Consul General, Sir William Foundling, and Song, one of the four ”families" (Chinese mafia), have a stake in the opium smuggling operation. One of the good characters is beaten to an inch of his life in Kempeitai (Japanese secret police during the war) torture style, others are followed by the Chinese police (dark shirt-wearing agents).
With so much action on his hands, the author spends less time building up his characters, whom we already know from the previous novels of the series. Each of the main characters is allotted a certain gesture or preference that defines him or her: Sarah is shy and speaks pidgin English (but works at improving her ”high” English too), Jacko will drink a cold beer any time he has a chance to, Jamie and Jacko’s wives sprinkle their speeches with French and Spanish, respectively.
Like in The Warramunga’s Aftermath of War, there are two, somewhat separate adventures: one on the Yangtze River, which justifies the title of the book, and then a second one, in the Australian bush, where, again, Sarah and Jacko are the heroes who have the best of the "baddies". While this second adventure is also full of suspense and is pleasurable to follow, it seems to me that it dilutes the contribution of the first to the novel, as a whole.
The book is very well edited: I could not find more than two or three typos.
A really enjoyable lecture for adventure lovers, I cannot but recommend it. Therefore, I award it four out of four stars. I can also see it, or them, i.e. all the novels in the series, turned into a nice TV series.
******
Conflict on the Yangtze
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
