There is this hit man that meets an angel, changes his mind about his life, and is sent back to the middle ages to solve somebody else’s problems. If I had read that in some quick blurb I probably would not have read this book and a great loss it would have been.
The most compelling part of this story is the depth of character. The angel in this story knows more about the people involved than the people themselves. In this case Ms. Rice makes us believe that statement true. Not only are we presented with people who have complex and difficult lives but we are drawn into the depths of their fears, joys, wishes and dreams. From the first few pages as we hear the assassin’s love of beauty and sense of place we are so drawn in that we have to know where he will go and what will happen to him. The power to stop reading is gone almost with the first sentence.
Along with these wonderfully drawn and compelling people we are given a story that hurtles along, surprises with the unexpected and makes us care. That Ms. Rice also has something important to say makes this a great read by a great writer.
Wilbur Smith has a history of great action adventure novels. I particularly liked his ancient Egypt series as well as a number of his other more recent action-history stories. But he has been writing for a long time and this novel goes back to 1965. The hero is a mercenary working for the Congolese’s government tasked to rescue embattled civilians from the war zone and by the way bring back the diamonds.
All the elements here are good. He presents a hodgepodge of actors with a raft of personal problems and character flaws, a civil war with no clear heroes and a love story about two unlikely people thrown together by mere circumstance. It all works. The story is fast moving and the action believable. It’s a fast and fun read.
Read this book for the numbers. Our hero, Bruce, has about 60 men. His first encounter with an insane general rampaging across the countryside has only a few more. It shows just how few it takes to make the world a much worse place for the many.