Convergence of Valor Redux

Convergence of Valor  Guntis Goncarovs

A stunning piece of work. Mr. Goncarovs displays three great gifts: a talent for meticulous research, a fluid, original style and the ability to recreate a period and place.
The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine successfully used in war time. It has only recently been recovered from the bottom Charleston Bay, and as one who has seen the wreckage, I can say that I learned more about that bold Confederate experiment from Convergence of Valor than I did from examining the original artifact. As a writer of historical fiction Guntis Goncarovs is first class.

Price: $.99
88481 words

I am republishing this review because in the my review of another Hunley story, The Hunley: the Civil War's Secret Weapon by Larry C. Kerr, I plugged Convergence of Valor.  It only seems fair to be reciprocal.  I found it fascinating to compare viewpoints.

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Chaos in Canada

Elise Marquette, archeologist/anthropologist, with a passion for bones, is stuck in a "go nowhere" job doing archeological assessments for oil companies and the military.  Her days are spent mired in conflict with workmates, bureaucrats safety managers and the myriad of regulations that kill productivity in twenty-first century industry and degrades the quality of life itself.  Elise's dysfunctional family rates twelve on a scale of ten and she has resigned herself to a life of lonely celibacy—and then there's that comfort food thing.  It looks like Elise will being spending all of her days trudging around with the mosquitoes under the blazing sun on the prairies and through the muskegs of western Canada, forever, wearing a day glow vest, hardhat and steel toed boots while lugging a ream of safety forms.   

Then she spends a single afternoon in Galway with an Irish archeologist named Gavin.

This is not a romance.  I don't read romance.  It is frankly a memoir, fictionalized I presume, and I surprised myself by becoming engrossed so early in the story, but then again, it has many things I like: archeology, wit, government bashing, and bears.  Memoirs are by definition a first person narrative and it is the strength of Elise's character that makes this book irresistible.  She is a cynical, foulmouthed, girl-next-door that the reader, of either gender, simply wants to get to know.  For those who have tried to do business in the brave new world of over-regulation, Elise is a kindred spirit.  For those who haven't had the pleasure, this is an insight into the absurdity of modern society.  Everyone will relate to her trials with co-workers and family.  It's a quirky story that's well worth the price of admission.

As is my habit to be supportive of self published authors, I compiled a small list of typos which I will share if I can contact the writer.  I cannot find an email address for Yvonne.  If anyone can help me get in touch with her, I'd appreciate it.

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Treachery Under Charleston Harbor

By the title we enter expecting to read about the first submarine to sink a ship in wartime.  However, the reader is quickly following multiple subplots that give one to wonder how, or if, they are connected—they are.  The historical facts presented stretched my knowledge of the Hunley and I began to have doubts until I did more research and found that by and large, except as disclaimed, Mr. Kerr is pretty well on target.  So, I've learned some fascinating history and that's always a good thing.

The Hunley: The Civil War's Secret Weapon is a very well executed piece of historical fiction with extraordinary character development.  The period settings are generally first rate and the depiction of human drama during a catastrophic time is done remarkably well.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it for all fans of history.  In my personal opinion, it's a bit overpriced at $5.99, but then again, I'm a crusader for the $2.99 e-book.

If you enjoyed The Hunley, you will surely also enjoy Convergence of Valor by Guntis Goncarovs which deals with the same topic from a slightly different point of view.

As is my habit to be supportive of self published authors, I compiled a small list of typos which I will share if I can contact the writer.  I cannot find an email address for Larry.  If anyone can help me get in touch with him, I'd appreciate it.

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Very big kitty

For those of you who have seen my California wildlife slideshow, it's time to take another look.  We had a pretty exciting visitor last night and he came at about the time my wife, Hurricane Sandy, was taking our two silly dogs for a walk.  The new picture is near the end of the slideshow.  Here's the link: Critters of the Canyon

Review of Arnold Crabtree, WWI British Sniper

Arnold Crabtree, WWI British Sniper is a very interesting, and very concise snippet of history.  It is a twenty-minute glimpse into the life and death of a common soldier on the Western Front in the early days of that war that the United States took so very long to join.  One always hears of machine gun charges and gas attacks.  The role of snipers has heretofore been ignored.  I'd like to thank Alex Devaney for shedding light on the topic.

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Review of Pearl Lagoon by Eric Timar

A banana republic, a perpetual civil war, two murders in a sleepy fishing village and a tall, stunning, blond obeah woman, this is backdrop for a story that might have come from Grahame Greene.  In the prohibition era an ambitious young vice-consul investigates the murder of an American in a remote part of Nicaragua.  The exotic setting is the appeal of this story and Eric Timar has done a fine job of conveying the ambiance.  The character development and the dialect is first rate.  Pearl Lagoon will appeal to historical fictions fans and those fond of adventure travel as well anyone who loves a murder mystery.

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Review of Charleston Murders

Meet Alexis Dorchester, Charleston socialite, heiress and pampered Southern Belle.  Her husband is gay, the love of her life is a black eunuch, her son is a mulatto, her father is a murderous bigot and her servants are her stepsiblings—certainly colorful living arrangements.  Charleston Murders is a tale of segregation, treachery and mayhem that covers the time period from the 1920's to present.  It is told in the form of a deathbed confession and it's rather long, so it was surely a slow painful death.  The narration is a folksy southern dialect which initially put me off, but in very few pages it began to speak to my inner redneck.  I continued avidly to the climax of the story then I began to hope for a merciful death.  It's a very good book until the aforementioned climax, then its voice changes and it becomes somewhat maudlin and self-indulgent.  In my frank opinion it would be improved were it pruned by about twenty-five percent.
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