Review by ILB -- The Warramunga's War by Greg Kater
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Review by ILB -- The Warramunga's War by Greg Kater
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater.]
3 out of 4 stars
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The Warramunga’s War by Greg Kater.
In the dusty heat of Egypt in 1941, Jamie meets Jacko, an Australian man with an Aborigine mother. This book is the first in a trilogy, and starts when Jacko saves Jamie’s life. Thrown together, they develop a friendship which spans two countries and continues upon their return to Australia.
In Egypt, Jamie and Jacko are recruited to locate Nazi spies. Working with a small network of Egyptian women and other officers, they use a straightforward approach to do an effective job. This ensures an eventful first half of the book. They continue this role and it culminates in a dramatic manhunt when they return to Australia.
The characters set in Egypt drive the narrative in the first half of the book. New characters are introduced in Australia and the reader cannot help but hope that many of them feature in future events in the next book of this trilogy. In particular, the women characters of Monique and Sara add high interest to the novel and create curiosity about what will happen next in Jacko and Monique’s relationship and what the highly-skilled Sara will do next.
The author has done well to capture enough authentic details from actual events in the war to create a sense of realism and help the reader escape to war-torn Egypt as they read. It is not hard to imagine the escapism the British soldiers were experiencing in their hiatus from war, with cheap entertainment and the British pound affording a luxurious break from the horror and hardship they had experienced. Our heart also went out to the widows who were trapped in Egypt as a result of the war.
Australia is also loosely described as we travel through the outback on the mission with Jamie, Jacko and friends. Enough to get a taste of what the setting was without slowing down the plot.
The plot was slowly introduced in Egypt and on occasion, events seemed to occur unhurriedly, but pace sped up significantly once the main characters arrived in Australia. While the ending was not surprising, it was still interesting to read how it all unfolded. I am intrigued by Jacko and his thought processes. He is a fascinating character who I hope we learn more about in the next two books of this series.
I enjoyed reading this book and would give rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was compelling to read but would not appeal to every reader. The characters had just enough development for the reader to invest in them, however, it did leave me hungry for more insight into who they are and there is room for development there. I am not sure what is left to tell in the remaining novels of this trilogy. It is possible we may find out more about the Rousseau family and their life since we left Egypt. Hopefully, we will see more of Sara, Jacko and their extended family as well.
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The Warramunga's War
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3 out of 4 stars
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The Warramunga’s War by Greg Kater.
In the dusty heat of Egypt in 1941, Jamie meets Jacko, an Australian man with an Aborigine mother. This book is the first in a trilogy, and starts when Jacko saves Jamie’s life. Thrown together, they develop a friendship which spans two countries and continues upon their return to Australia.
In Egypt, Jamie and Jacko are recruited to locate Nazi spies. Working with a small network of Egyptian women and other officers, they use a straightforward approach to do an effective job. This ensures an eventful first half of the book. They continue this role and it culminates in a dramatic manhunt when they return to Australia.
The characters set in Egypt drive the narrative in the first half of the book. New characters are introduced in Australia and the reader cannot help but hope that many of them feature in future events in the next book of this trilogy. In particular, the women characters of Monique and Sara add high interest to the novel and create curiosity about what will happen next in Jacko and Monique’s relationship and what the highly-skilled Sara will do next.
The author has done well to capture enough authentic details from actual events in the war to create a sense of realism and help the reader escape to war-torn Egypt as they read. It is not hard to imagine the escapism the British soldiers were experiencing in their hiatus from war, with cheap entertainment and the British pound affording a luxurious break from the horror and hardship they had experienced. Our heart also went out to the widows who were trapped in Egypt as a result of the war.
Australia is also loosely described as we travel through the outback on the mission with Jamie, Jacko and friends. Enough to get a taste of what the setting was without slowing down the plot.
The plot was slowly introduced in Egypt and on occasion, events seemed to occur unhurriedly, but pace sped up significantly once the main characters arrived in Australia. While the ending was not surprising, it was still interesting to read how it all unfolded. I am intrigued by Jacko and his thought processes. He is a fascinating character who I hope we learn more about in the next two books of this series.
I enjoyed reading this book and would give rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was compelling to read but would not appeal to every reader. The characters had just enough development for the reader to invest in them, however, it did leave me hungry for more insight into who they are and there is room for development there. I am not sure what is left to tell in the remaining novels of this trilogy. It is possible we may find out more about the Rousseau family and their life since we left Egypt. Hopefully, we will see more of Sara, Jacko and their extended family as well.
******
The Warramunga's War
View: on Bookshelves
Like ILB's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: The Warramunga's War by Greg Kater
