Review of The Blue Honey Pot, Book 1

[Harty Muli]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Blue Honey Pot, Book 1" by John P Roberts.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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John P. Roberts’ novel, The Blue Honey Pot: Inequity of War Series, Book I, is set during the clamor for Rhodesia’s independence from its colonial master, Britain. By this time (around 1976), some of its neighbors, such as Mozambique and Zambia, have attained independence. And we are now witnessing insurgents from these countries crossing the common border into Rhodesia to help their African brothers in their struggle for freedom.

Thomas Embany and Mophy are examples of such revolutionaries from Mozambique and Uganda respectively. They met in Mozambique after Idi Amin Dada’s forces, the third president of Uganda’s forces, overran Uganda and outlawed formal education, in the process. Viewing themselves as Pan-Africanists, both men moved their operating base to Rhodesia, where they began publishing their yellow journalistic newspaper, The Salisbury Guardian. Even so, the government’s effort at curtailing insurgency in Rhodesia was targeted at the armed rebels operating from neighboring Zambia, and not at the free press operating inside Rhodesia.

I liked the characterization aspect best in this novel. Contrary to stereotypical views of black folks featured in western movies, Roberts portrayed Thomas and Mophy as successful black men, who operated in a competitive media industry in Salisbury, Rhodesia’s capital. Furthermore, what was unique with this story was that both black and white personalities were featured as being actively involved in pressing for change in Rhodesia. A good example of such a white character was Mary Reid. Mary drew on her experience as a reporter for the civil rights movement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to write well-researched and reproachful articles on the repressive nature of the white-led regime in Rhodesia.

That said, I felt Mary Reid’s character was not fleshed out fully. As a lead character, I expected to know more about her background; for example, what offense did Mary commit in Milwaukee that compelled her to come to Africa? Secondly, the thought of an unattached white woman operating in a male-dominated field in Africa in the ’70s also appeared unrealistic to me. All the same, I will be curious to see how Roberts develops her character in the next three books in the series, considering that the story’s setting features some war-hardened white commandos—such as the other major character, Jeffers—and blood-thirsty black rebels.

In summary, the book appeared to have not been edited professionally. This was because I came across over ten editing errors in the novel. Because of the two weaknesses cited, I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone interested in a realistic depiction of the fight for independence in Africa. The book may also be of historical interest since it features some historical figures, such as Ian Smith, Robert Mugabe, and Joshua Nkomo (spelled as “Nokomo” in the novel). At the same time, it may be unsuited for anyone put off by acts of sabotage and violence in their reading.

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The Blue Honey Pot, Book 1
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[marta baglioni]

I would have loved to read this book: it is a point of view that we don't usually see. Then I got to the "flaws' part", and I think I might desist. Great review

[Rishi_reviews]

The theme of the book seems interesting to me but it's flaws just take over everything. I think I'll skip this one out. Thanks for the insightful review.