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paul_cornelius's review
5.0
Jim Schuyler Grim is an American working for the British Secret Service in the aftermath of World War I in the Middle East. Accompanied by another American, Ramsden, an amateur adventurer, they explore a world of political intrigue, terrorist plots, and Palestinian archaeological wonders in Jimgrim and Allah's Peace. This is one of Mundy's better works, his storytelling works quickly and he fleshes out characters in surprisingly sharp detail.
But the thing most to remember from the book is the imagery of Jerusalem. Mundy can make it magical, as Ramsden walks through starlit city at night, hearing, seeing, and feeling its ancient past in the narrow streets and passages surrounding him. Then, during the day, it can all turn into a squalid, dangerous, oppressive city of stone, with hidden warrens and chaotic souks, promising adventure as much as death.
Not to be forgotten, too, is Mundy's bent for following in the path of Cervantes and Don Quixote. His dialogue is peppered with the comic and witty, while serving as critical commentary on contemporary politics and social attitudes. Like Cervantes, he also makes use of digressions that often seem to lead off from the main story into separate tales. They nonetheless eventually wind their way back to the main plot and have served in the meantime to create context, atmosphere, and character.
But the thing most to remember from the book is the imagery of Jerusalem. Mundy can make it magical, as Ramsden walks through starlit city at night, hearing, seeing, and feeling its ancient past in the narrow streets and passages surrounding him. Then, during the day, it can all turn into a squalid, dangerous, oppressive city of stone, with hidden warrens and chaotic souks, promising adventure as much as death.
Not to be forgotten, too, is Mundy's bent for following in the path of Cervantes and Don Quixote. His dialogue is peppered with the comic and witty, while serving as critical commentary on contemporary politics and social attitudes. Like Cervantes, he also makes use of digressions that often seem to lead off from the main story into separate tales. They nonetheless eventually wind their way back to the main plot and have served in the meantime to create context, atmosphere, and character.
paul_cornelius's review against another edition
3.0
This conclusion to the Jimgrim saga apparently came five years after the preceding book in the series. It shows. Talbot Mundy seems to have lost all inspiration, here. Jimgrim is filled with elaborate detail; but it has no atmosphere. The novel enlists the theme of the occult; but it has no mystery. The characters themselves, while developed beyond anything expected in genre fiction, lack charm and interest. Jimgrim himself seems flaccid, waiting for his part in the tale to end. Ramsden often appears to have left the narrative entirely, only to flit back in when action and muscle is needed. And a new character, Robert Crosby, is but a bland version of Jeremy Ross from earlier in the series. One more thing: in all the Jimgrim novels where Jimgrim and Ramsden both appear and carry the action, it is Ramsden who narrates the story. For some reason, Mundy shifted the narration from Ramsden to Crosby in Jimgrim. Why? All the earlier intimacy the reader experienced with the characters disappears, as too much time is spent bringing in Crosby's perspective, his story.
The redeeming part of the novel is that it does provide closure to the series, in a sad and melancholy way. The last image we have of the heroes is alone, in a Tibetan valley, preparing for the long trek home to India. Chullunder Ghose is there. So is Ramsden. The new boy, Crosby. And Grim is burning with a ferocity not seen in any other book. So it ends.
The redeeming part of the novel is that it does provide closure to the series, in a sad and melancholy way. The last image we have of the heroes is alone, in a Tibetan valley, preparing for the long trek home to India. Chullunder Ghose is there. So is Ramsden. The new boy, Crosby. And Grim is burning with a ferocity not seen in any other book. So it ends.
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