Review of Dread Tribunal of Last Resort

[Elena Nechita]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Dread Tribunal of Last Resort" by Brian Kaufman.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Dread Tribunal of Last Resort by Brian Kaufman is a historical fiction that depicts the drastic turn the lives of two lovers take when the American civil war leaves them on opposite sides.

After spending two years in Boston as an apprentice to his uncle Oskar, Decker Brown comes home to Richmond with only two thoughts in mind, marry the love of his life - Paula Crane, and start a business with his father. He acquired extensive knowledge of rocketry from his uncle and is now ready to manufacture his own "illuminations" as he calls them. The upcoming war, however, hinders his plans, and he is left with the burdensome choice of either standing with his own country or fighting for what his belief system says it's right.

One of the things I liked the most about the book was the dual point of view. Not only did the love story between Paula and Decker felt more realistic, but the different perspectives also helped illustrate the various facets of the war more seamlessly. The author did not shy away from portraying the atrocities soldiers and civilians alike had to endure, and I appreciated that. Young people often romanticize the idea of going into battle, not fully realizing the extent of the sacrifice everyone made.

A lot of themes were tackled in this book, and Kaufman did a great job with all of them. Slavery and racism were some of the primary themes of the book, and I admired Decker's abiding loyalty to fighting against them, especially when the people he loves the most don't have the same ideals. The protagonist's interest in rockets was skillfully integrated into the storyline, and it also helped display the advancement of weaponry. Decker Brown is a complex character, fit to drive the story, and remarkably well written, as are the rest of the characters.

Another aspect I loved was the feature of the women's involvement in the war. There weren't many female characters, but the ones we saw weren't one-dimensional and actually had key scenes in the book. In most wars, women refused to sit idly while men fought and searched for ways they could help. The author showcases this through Paula, mostly, but also Dori. Paula has more traditional ideals in comparison to Decker, ideals enforced by her role as a woman in society, but she manages to keep true to herself in other ways.

I did not like the recurrent use of the n-word at all, the version the author used towards the end being particularly distasteful and unnecessary. The lack of a more prominent black character was also unfortunate, but it made sense in the context of the novel. These are my only complaints, but Kaufman did such a great job with the book that those negative aspects didn't impede my enjoyment of the book.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, as I found it to be professionally edited, with just a few errors, and highly engaging. There was profane language in the book, but it wasn't excessive and the only sexual scene wasn't explicit.

I recommend this novel for anyone who appreciates historical fiction, but they should be at least over 16 as the combat scenes were graphic enough.

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Dread Tribunal of Last Resort
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