The Brittle Land Review

 

The Brittle Land Review

Writer: Tom Kane

 

In Tom Kane's novel The Brittle Sea, Richard Blackmore tracked the love of his life to a remote region in Alaska. She shot him for his efforts. Is this the end of Richard and Maggie's story? Let's leap into The Brittle Land, the second novel in Tom Kane's trilogy, and find out!

 

Story

Tears streamed down Magda Asparov’s face. Richard always had a powerful effect on her. Now their short-lived reunion reawakens Maggie, the personality Richard met when he rescued her from an ice floe after the Titanic disaster. Maggie remembers little after being abducted by Matthew Turner's henchman, William Harker. Now Matthew lies unconscious, the victim of a bear attack. Aided by Charlie and his daughter Kim, Maggie takes her daughter and flees the cannery she and Turner operated.

 

Nash Henderson finds Richard's body after it tumbled off the cliff. Miraculously, Richard survived. Unaware that Maggie's consciousness has returned and trying to find Richard, the old sailor returns him to his home in Richmond, Canada. Maggie searches the town of Cordova, finds clues about Richard, and follows. But their reunion will have to wait. World War I has begun. Seeking a purpose to ease his misery, Richard joined the British Navy and left for Europe.

 

In The Brittle Land, Tom Kane takes us back to our world one hundred years ago. Characters fight for honor, greed, or self-advancement. They achieve great things, only to lose all they've achieved. They sail into sea battles, charge across battlefields, and sneak through occupied lands. They are honored by historical luminaries and endure the ignominy of imprisonment. Plot twists and reversals of fortune abound before Kane brings his epic novel to a close.

 

Perhaps Kane foreshadows later events more than necessary. The Brittle Land also takes longer to get started than its predecessor. But like The Brittle Sea, this second novel delivers intriguing characters and thrilling action. Kane explains the historical events surrounding the characters better than in the first book. It's also a longer work, befitting the challenge of covering the entirety of World War I. Yet it remains a tale of ordinary people fighting for what they believe and seeking to accomplish great things, regardless of the obstacles fate hurls their way.

 

Thanks to Tom Kane for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Heroes battle their lesser natures—and the villains who seek to dominate or destroy them—in The Brittle Land: an epic tale of complex characters, intriguing interpersonal dynamics, and war. 

 

Related Links:

The Brittle Land is available at Amazon.com and other fine internet sellers. 

 

If you haven't read the first novel in this series, The Brittle Sea is free on Amazon.com.

 

Explore the entire trilogy, novels, travelogues, and science fiction stories at Tom Kane's website.