Review by jf47 -- Conflict on the Yangtze by Greg Kater
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jf47
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Review by jf47 -- Conflict on the Yangtze by Greg Kater
[Following is a volunteer review of "Conflict on the Yangtze" by Greg Kater.]
Conflict on the Yangtze by Greg Kater is an overall enjoyable historical fiction and action and adventure story. It would be a fine companion on a long flight, car ride, or for killing time on vacation.
This is the fourth book in a series, though I must confess I have not read the preceding three books. The time is 1946, less than a year after the end of World War II in the Pacific. Geographically, the characters travel mostly in the South China Sea region and Australia. I was particularly intrigued by the fictionalized glimpse of postwar but pre-communist mainland China. The author shares fascinating maps of Shanghai, many pages devoted to crowded train travel across the Chinese countryside (complete with bribing guards for a better ride), and rich descriptions of dangerous but exciting and successful boat journeys along the Yangtze River, with memorable stop-offs. British Secret Service, American OSS, the U.S. Navy, and Australian Intelligence all play a role in the story with easy and amusing interactions reminiscent of a James Bond film.
Since I read this book early in the COVID-19 crisis, and while watching the overlapping race issues in 2020, some parts of the book stood out to me more than they otherwise would have. One of the main characters is half aboriginal, and half Caucasian. His aboriginal half-sister is also a major character. Both are presented as skilled not only in the ways of the Outback, but also great trackers anywhere, and extremely clever and resourceful in any situation. Both characters are asked about their race several times throughout the book, not necessarily in a friendly way. For the most part, they both brush off any negativity with good humor and force of personality, but I am now more curious about the history of race relations in Australia. The World War II generation is mostly gone now, though the book made me want to ask someone from that time and that that part of the world how things really were. Perhaps naively, I wonder if shared traumatic experiences broke down some social barriers, and how realistic the interactions in the book were.
Not as a knock on the book, but I was constantly reminded of one of the tongue-in-cheek opening lines from the popular fictional Lake Wobegon of American public radio. There, “all the women are strong, the children are above average, and the men are good looking.” Kater’s ensemble cast of heroes are all morally upright, friendly, resourceful, and admirable to an extreme. I was also reminded of Clive Cussler’s protagonists - note, I enjoy his books his very much – whose characters are always smart, and tough, and good, as are all of their friends. Likewise, the bad guys they face are typically unambiguous. I particularly noted that the wives of Kater’s leading men are themselves strong and capable, but bow out and defer from their husband’s work whenever asked and wait dutifully with little complaint. At times it was a little hard to believe.
I am pleased to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars . If you are in the mood for an action-adventure tale, with elements of international drug trade and espionage you can’t go wrong. The physical settings are fascinating, especially in the immediate post-war period. I was especially pleased that no major grammar issues stood out to me. I would be happy to read another of Mr. Kater’s books.
******
Conflict on the Yangtze
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Conflict on the Yangtze by Greg Kater is an overall enjoyable historical fiction and action and adventure story. It would be a fine companion on a long flight, car ride, or for killing time on vacation.
This is the fourth book in a series, though I must confess I have not read the preceding three books. The time is 1946, less than a year after the end of World War II in the Pacific. Geographically, the characters travel mostly in the South China Sea region and Australia. I was particularly intrigued by the fictionalized glimpse of postwar but pre-communist mainland China. The author shares fascinating maps of Shanghai, many pages devoted to crowded train travel across the Chinese countryside (complete with bribing guards for a better ride), and rich descriptions of dangerous but exciting and successful boat journeys along the Yangtze River, with memorable stop-offs. British Secret Service, American OSS, the U.S. Navy, and Australian Intelligence all play a role in the story with easy and amusing interactions reminiscent of a James Bond film.
Since I read this book early in the COVID-19 crisis, and while watching the overlapping race issues in 2020, some parts of the book stood out to me more than they otherwise would have. One of the main characters is half aboriginal, and half Caucasian. His aboriginal half-sister is also a major character. Both are presented as skilled not only in the ways of the Outback, but also great trackers anywhere, and extremely clever and resourceful in any situation. Both characters are asked about their race several times throughout the book, not necessarily in a friendly way. For the most part, they both brush off any negativity with good humor and force of personality, but I am now more curious about the history of race relations in Australia. The World War II generation is mostly gone now, though the book made me want to ask someone from that time and that that part of the world how things really were. Perhaps naively, I wonder if shared traumatic experiences broke down some social barriers, and how realistic the interactions in the book were.
Not as a knock on the book, but I was constantly reminded of one of the tongue-in-cheek opening lines from the popular fictional Lake Wobegon of American public radio. There, “all the women are strong, the children are above average, and the men are good looking.” Kater’s ensemble cast of heroes are all morally upright, friendly, resourceful, and admirable to an extreme. I was also reminded of Clive Cussler’s protagonists - note, I enjoy his books his very much – whose characters are always smart, and tough, and good, as are all of their friends. Likewise, the bad guys they face are typically unambiguous. I particularly noted that the wives of Kater’s leading men are themselves strong and capable, but bow out and defer from their husband’s work whenever asked and wait dutifully with little complaint. At times it was a little hard to believe.
I am pleased to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars . If you are in the mood for an action-adventure tale, with elements of international drug trade and espionage you can’t go wrong. The physical settings are fascinating, especially in the immediate post-war period. I was especially pleased that no major grammar issues stood out to me. I would be happy to read another of Mr. Kater’s books.
******
Conflict on the Yangtze
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Reconfigurement by E. Alan Fleischauer
