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sugarplumfairhi79's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
polyanna_nas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Ich hab das Buch wirklich sehr genossen, es hat viel Spaß gemacht!
Ich finde vor allem hat Ball es geschafft, sehr liebenswerte Charaktere zu erschaffen, und ich konnte alle ein Stück weit nachvollziehen, auch Elisabeth, Godrick, Murat und Mehdi. Die Perspektivwechsel haben mir gut gefallen, sie haben die Geschichte echt bereichert und mir ein umfassenderes Bild des Geschehens beschert. Dadurch, dass das Buch so lang ist, konnte ich mich ganz anders auf die Geschichte einlassen und darin abtauchen.
Hin und wieder ziemlich düster und ich mochte Pauls Entwicklung nicht gern mit ansehen, obwohl es für die Geschichte eine gute Wahl war. Ich bin ein bisschen unzufrieden mit dem Ende, es ist gleichzeitig irgendwie klischeehaft und noch zu offen.
Ich finde vor allem hat Ball es geschafft, sehr liebenswerte Charaktere zu erschaffen, und ich konnte alle ein Stück weit nachvollziehen, auch Elisabeth, Godrick, Murat und Mehdi. Die Perspektivwechsel haben mir gut gefallen, sie haben die Geschichte echt bereichert und mir ein umfassenderes Bild des Geschehens beschert. Dadurch, dass das Buch so lang ist, konnte ich mich ganz anders auf die Geschichte einlassen und darin abtauchen.
Hin und wieder ziemlich düster und ich mochte Pauls Entwicklung nicht gern mit ansehen, obwohl es für die Geschichte eine gute Wahl war. Ich bin ein bisschen unzufrieden mit dem Ende, es ist gleichzeitig irgendwie klischeehaft und noch zu offen.
mrbooks's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most Epic reads I have come across. The author is amazing and inspiring! A novel not easily forgotten. I was hooked! Plot twists and with an amazing storyline that is unique and creative. As a writer this work inspires me! Well done! I cant wait to read more of his work!
mttsndrs's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed David Ball's later book Ironfire, but this one didn't appeal to me as much.
I liked the historical anchors in the book: Paris during the Franco-Prussian war, and the ill-fated Flatters Expedition in North Africa. These were real events, illustrated colorfully by the author.
But the story constructed around those events felt a little thin. For one thing, I didn't like the way the characters were drawn very much. They were almost cartoonish in the way they fit their role in the story. The story needed a hero, and Moussa is a nearly flawless hero. The story needed a villain, and central casting supplied Monseigneur Murat, an obese, corrupt, child-molesting priest. They rarely showed development, but when the story called for it, it happened abruptly with the characters undergoing sudden shifts in their personality. They never felt very real to me.
Also, I felt like the non-historical crises were solved too easily. In the end, the good guys prevail without being particularly clever about it, while the bad guys fumble their advantages and leave the door open for their own failure. When all the loose ends wrapped up quickly and neatly in the last 2 chapters, with everyone getting what they deserved, I felt a little unsatisfied.
I liked the historical anchors in the book: Paris during the Franco-Prussian war, and the ill-fated Flatters Expedition in North Africa. These were real events, illustrated colorfully by the author.
But the story constructed around those events felt a little thin. For one thing, I didn't like the way the characters were drawn very much. They were almost cartoonish in the way they fit their role in the story. The story needed a hero, and Moussa is a nearly flawless hero. The story needed a villain, and central casting supplied Monseigneur Murat, an obese, corrupt, child-molesting priest. They rarely showed development, but when the story called for it, it happened abruptly with the characters undergoing sudden shifts in their personality. They never felt very real to me.
Also, I felt like the non-historical crises were solved too easily. In the end, the good guys prevail without being particularly clever about it, while the bad guys fumble their advantages and leave the door open for their own failure. When all the loose ends wrapped up quickly and neatly in the last 2 chapters, with everyone getting what they deserved, I felt a little unsatisfied.
teebark's review
5.0
An epic story covering two generations and two continents. It starts in 1800's France, with two young boys who narrowly escape death by a wild boar. A passing priest happens on the scene and has the opportunity to have his coach driver shoot the boar before it charges. He orders the driver not to shoot, and the story continues. What? Why would he do that? We find out later, and oh my, is it juicy.
The boys are nephews, connected by a French officer from one side and an expatriate Saharan princess on the other. Their interactions involve a mad nun, a runaway balloon ride, a trip through the catacombs of Paris, and a discovery of illicit sex by one of the parents. After they grow up, we're treated to a dead man's march in the Saharan desert, a Saharan people called Tuaregs, who ambush and massacre a French column, and digging tunnels for water underneath the Sahara desert.
Wild fun--lots of action, violence, sex, betrayal, bravery, and more. And the kicker is at the end of the story--I'll save that as a treat for you to look forward to.
The boys are nephews, connected by a French officer from one side and an expatriate Saharan princess on the other. Their interactions involve a mad nun, a runaway balloon ride, a trip through the catacombs of Paris, and a discovery of illicit sex by one of the parents. After they grow up, we're treated to a dead man's march in the Saharan desert, a Saharan people called Tuaregs, who ambush and massacre a French column, and digging tunnels for water underneath the Sahara desert.
Wild fun--lots of action, violence, sex, betrayal, bravery, and more. And the kicker is at the end of the story--I'll save that as a treat for you to look forward to.
lnatal's review
5.0
What a magnificent book by David Ball.
The plot describes the family saga of The de Vries during the historical period of the Prussians invasion in Paris in 1870.
The lives of the cousins Moussa and Paul are entwined in turmoil of events regarding their parent's fate.
In a tragic event involving an escape through a balloon, Moussa tries to find his own destiny in the Sahara's desert, which is his mother's homeland.
In the last part of the book the Massacre of the Flatters' Mission is described in full details by the author as well as the French attempt to build a trans-Saharan railroad in the North of Africa.
The plot describes the family saga of The de Vries during the historical period of the Prussians invasion in Paris in 1870.
The lives of the cousins Moussa and Paul are entwined in turmoil of events regarding their parent's fate.
In a tragic event involving an escape through a balloon, Moussa tries to find his own destiny in the Sahara's desert, which is his mother's homeland.
In the last part of the book the Massacre of the Flatters' Mission is described in full details by the author as well as the French attempt to build a trans-Saharan railroad in the North of Africa.
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