Africa afresh

I was searching for new authors and came across Beverly Harper!  I met her son at a  workshop and heard a little about her story.  Beverly has written (at least) 7 books about Africa.  She died in 2002 after a struggle with cancer - leaving her notes for a sequel to a book she had just published.  Her family with the help of another well-known Australian writer - Peter Watt - finished the sequel in her honour.  I heard that she had been writing for magazines for some years and finally had a book accepted for publication - I think it must have been "Storms over Africa".  I was told that when she was told that the book had been accepted she had a carton of eggs in her hands and the eggs got thrown into the air (from excitement) and smashed on the floor!

I had seen her books on the book shelf, and even glanced through them some times, but had never actually bought one - am not sure why.  But after this personal connection - and my bad experience with Wilbur Smith's last book, I thought that now was the time to start!  The only book available on kindle was the final one that the family finished (Footprints of the Lion) - so I went searching for the prequel "Shadows in the Grass" and found it. So I have started with the very last book she finished.  Although her other books seem to be set in more modern times, these two books were set in the time of the last zulu war.

The book was quite a delight to read.  It reminded me of the very early Wilbur Smith books - raw and interesting and set in a time of history when great events were occurring in early Africa.  The characters were well portrayed and quickly became friends (with me, the reader).   They had their flaws and they also developed through the story - and so had some depth.  Two themes that stood out to me were: the freedom to break out of societal conventions; and also the strength of women.  There were other themes too - about the respect for the zulus (without overglamorising the nation) - and the British politics and stupidity in dealing with their 'subjects'.  Dallas finds himself on the run from Scotland after being caught in the act with the mother of his childhood sweetheart (enaged to an old man against her will) who was pregnant with his baby!!!  Hence the flight to South Africa - and being in place for adventures in the new colony and the zulu wars.  He teams up with a couple of apparent mis-fits and friendships develop.  Despite ending up married against his will himself, (blackmail about his status), he manages to end up with the girl he wants.... That's the thumbnail sketch!  And it is a good read!  So lucky I have the sequel downloaded - it will be interesting to see how the tone changes as others took her notes to finish the saga.  What a good way to honour a mother, wife, friend and colleague!

In between, I have started  reading a new Jennifer Fallon book - "Undivided" - a celtic story moving between the modern and ancient worlds.  It has a nice Jennifer Fallon feel about it and I am looking forward to the ride!  I will report. Maybe I will even get back to some philosophy and religion soon!  Enjoy reading.

Evolution of authors and faith

This blog reports on 2 books I have just read, both 'involving' evolution!  The first is Evolving in Monkey Town: How a girl who knew all the answers learned to ask the questions - by Rachel Held Evans, and the second is the Latest Wilber Smith's book Those in Peril. 

First to monkey town (where the original public debate between evolution and creation occured early last century).  When I was advised by a friend to read this, I was a little skeptical.  I thought it would be another attempt by Christians to defend the indefensible.  But I was wrong!  This was one of the most honest Christian books that I have read (Adrian Plass is another who writes authentic Christian books!)  Rachel is only just hitting 30, brought up in a full-on fundamentalist Christian environment but managed to break out and come to the point of asking the questions that it took me nearly a lifetime to formulate (well I am 56!).  Her issue is not with God as such - but rather at the inconsistencies within the Bible, its teaching and its defense.  Interestingly, despite all her questioning of the way it is used (wrongly) to hit people over the head and defend indefensible doctrines - she still seems to hold the Bible with respect.  She caught on early to the illogic of people from other cultures, places and religions being tortued forever by a "loving" God because they happened to be born in a different place and brought up with the beliefs of their fathers and mothers. And that was just the start!  Her use of the word 'evolving' related to her - and the Church's - need to evolve as new knowledge and ideas emerged so she/ they stayed strong within the changes around them.  That continually defending old interpretations of writings, cultures and doctrines in the face of emerging realities adn discoveries was on a course to extinction.

Go Rachel!!

Now to the next evolution.  I think I have read all of Wilbur Smith's books since his first novels.  I (mostly) found them extrordinary tales of the places and times they portrayed and gave me a real interest in South Africa and its history.  Later novels have evolved  to a more holywood style - as if the great narrative has now been told and there is little left to explore.  The last one - Those in Peril - was about two quite heroic hollywood types  - with almost no chinks in their armour - and facing dangers and trauma with barely a breath.  It focused on islamic extremists typecast to the American portrayal of villans (reminded me of how Edgar Rice Burroughs portrayed the Russian bad guys when they went against Tarzan in his very early books - by the way I still enjoy Tarzan books!).  It dealt with pirates off the African coast with the main characters summarily defeating the menace!  It gave too many pages to detailing torture (good guys to bad guys as much as vice versa) with a focus on an eye for an eye.  So it all left me a little cold.  Wilbur, are there some real stories about the current modern Africa that you can enage us with????

Two sides of the coin - and another wooden ship hero

Well I just read a treat!  My daughter alerted me to a book of short stories - The Inheritance -  by Robin Hobb (who, as you may realise by now, is one of my favourite flights of fantasy!) and her other pen name Megan Lindholm (who I now want to read more of).  The interesting point being that the topics and style of writing are quite different (although she mentioned one friend/colleague who could see her DNA in both books).  Writing as Megan the stories are modern, quirky and fun (addiction from the skins of penguin like aliens..... boiling up dead cats to find magic bones).  Writing as Robin, the stories are deep, detailed and meticulously constructed (the story of establishing the Rain Wilder colonies... a cat assisting a woman to escape from a brutal husband)!  But both styles are quite enjoyable.

Kind of relates to the story of the Soldier Boy series by Robin Hobb - two personalities in one body - and the struggles to accommodate each other - or let the other freedom to express themselves.  How do we embrace our different aspects - particularly when we are not fully comfortable with the totality that is us?  How do we write both/multiple life stories and keep our personal integrity and well being?

And a surprise book! - Since the partial demise of some of the big book chains, I have endeavoured to buy more "real" books - rather than just downloading them!  As I was prowling in a bookshop recently at the coast, I came across a second book by Sean Thomas Russell called A Battle Won.   I had read his first book - Under Enemy Colours - and really liked it - but had thought it to be a one off.  Now the find of the next in the series!  Wow!  Russell writes after the genre of Forester (Hornblower) and Alexander Kent (Bolitho) on the British navy back in the time of Napoleon and Nelson.  All start with a rather lowly ranked navel officer and trace his move up through the ranks in the face of bad commanders, French frigates, gales and the wiles of women.  In my view, Hornblower was a bit formal and stilted (still a great read!), Bolitho was a bit too "good" (almost too good to be true - but again a cracking read) and Russell has got a great middle ground - a hero that has a bit of depth and is self effacing - and great in dealing with difficult situations and facing up to difficult admirals!

I am half way through the book - and enjoying it immensely.  But then it will be time to download some more books onto the kindle - but I have no idea what!  Any ideas?????