Christoph – MythBehaving

For Whom The Bell Tolls – Myth Rating 5 Stars

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Feb 202014

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Shane KP O’Neill

Christoph’s Review

The Dracula Chronicles: For Whom The Bell Tolls by Shane KP O’Neill is a very well written historical account of the early days of Vlad Dracula in Transylvania from 1431 onwards. Although young Vlad will later on become a Vampire and the figure that inspired other Dracula stories, O’Neill sticks with this book to the historic figure and describes only the first years of Vlad’s existence.

Introductory chapters introduce the theme of the First Great War of the Angels, of Lucifer and his great plan to find the perfect human to carry out his evil plan. The fight between good and evil forces has come to the earth plane and finds itself in the duality which is being set up between a gypsy boy called Andrei and Vlad Dracula junior.

Vlad Dracul senior is the Voivode of Wallachia and at the time in conflict with the Turks. In that regard the book is an excellent account of the historical and political dynamics and dramas on the Balkan and Europe of the time and worth reading for the well researched and competently written historical account alone. The detailed descriptions of the politics and customs of the time are amazing.

This provides the setting for the coming of age of young Vlad and his ‘good’ counter part Andrei. Vlad is being held hostage by the Turks and during this time has his first romantic and sexual encounters while his father is struggling with both, his allies and his enemies in the Balkan. The relationships between father and son, the son and his captives and the individual characterisations are way beyond what a fantasy / paranormal book might offer. The writing is of literary class.

O’Neill has done a fantastic job at presenting us with the historical Dracula as opposed to the purely fictional books about Dracula, which distinguishes him from less ambitious and accomplished works in the genre.

Dark and atmospheric but without any actual vampires this is an amazing and very unique book that hopefully will appeal to the fans of the vampire genre as much as it did to this satisfied fan of historical fiction.

Read on for more about Shane and this historical novel!

The Clay Lion – Myth Rating 5 Stars

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Jan 102014

The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn

Christoph’s Review

The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn is an amazing piece of heart-breaking and uplifting fiction. Aimed probably at young adults as main target audience the book however has a lot to say that is relevant to people of all ages. It is the story of one brave young woman that choses to go back in time to try and save her fatally ill younger brother. The idea of time travel did not appeal to me at first since it has been done many times and some authors in the genre can try to be too clever for their own good. The Clay Lion is way above that level and raises some fascinating and worthy questions about regrets, missed opportunities, second chances and destiny. By doing so successfully the book qualifies – in my humble opinion at least – as literary fiction and philosophical offering on the subject of turning back time. It made me think hard about what I would chose to relive and try and change in my life. The main story – the disease of her younger brother – is often sad but always full of hope and positive and important messages, a tribute to courage and an appeal to the good side in all of us. Written with charm and emotional wisdom this is hugely rewarding and captivating. A powerful and important read and a talented author to watch.

Read on for more about Amalie and The Clay Lion!

The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap – Myth Rating 5 Stars

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Jan 032014

The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin

Christoph’s Review

“The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap” uses two well-known scandals of 1895 to start off and move along the plot of our protagonists. It is an interesting and skilfully executed set-up, followed by an equally brilliant illustration of how the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde and the anti-Semitism shown in the Dreyfus Affair in France could have been received in a remote and isolated location such as a small town in Nevada. Each chapter is accompanied by a quotation from Oscar Wilde’s work. I am not usually a fan of poetry and themes used as headings, but the author has chosen them appropriately and very well. The description of the setting succeeds effortlessly with just enough detail to make it easy for us to imagine we are there with the heroes, but without overloading us with description that gets in the way of the plot. The portrayal of the times seems also very authentic and the dialogue is also very realistic and flows easily. The way the characters interact with each other is simply brilliantly done and gives the book a lively feeling. The story is much more complex and involved than the beginning and the book title seemed to imply to me – which made this an unpredictable and compulsive reading experience. The book is an illustration of hate, intolerance and gossip in a small community and is kind and politically correct in its message. At a time when Gay Marriage proposals are being voted on all over the world and homophobia comes back into the spotlight of media attention this story is reminiscent of many of our current arguments. At first I found it unbelievable and off-putting that some of the characters would – at that time in history – have the understanding and tolerance as the author attributes to them. Then I realised that the same ancient prejudiced views that haunt our Mildred in the book are still around in 2012. The book is a great piece of work on human nature and I will be recommending it to my friends.