Customer Reviews

An East Wind Blowing

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This is probably the best historical romance Keegan has done, and yet it is the least interesting to me. Despite being well-written and meticulously researched, AN EAST WIND BLOWING (and I even like the title) left me cold. The problem is the characters, and I don't think it has anything to do with their ages (check out Knowles' A SEPARATE PEACE or Grimsley's DREAM BOY if you think adolescents can't be turned into complex and appealing characters). What we seem to have here are two character-less characters. Keegan gives us Bryn, "the son of an overweening lord." My take, given the info Keegan has shared: Bryn is (should be?) arrogant, spoilt, rigid in code and ethics. And then we have Ronan, a "common freeman," who appears (from the description we have) to be rebellious, adaptable and a little insecure. And this feels like a workable character dynamic: room for both of them to learn and grow and fall in love. But it doesn't happen. There is no conflict, no resolution and therefore no character development (which is not to say that there isn't plenty of outside conflict: i.e., battles against the barbarian Angles--this novel is as dependably action-packed as all Keegan's work). These protags do not actually act OUT of character, the problem seems to be no personalities at all. And after all, this is a romance; character is paramount. The characters of the crippled Dafydd and Selgi are more textured and memorable in the fleeting glimpse we have of them than our central characters are in the space of an entire book. I'm thinking that a successful romance (het or gay) needs a plot line (and possibly a theme) with a beginning, climax and resolution, and to me that means some kind of growth. I'm a huge fan of Keegan's work, and I think this would be an easy fix for such a talented writer. With a few brush strokes we could have two fully realized characters fighting the Angles, fighting each other and fighting their own hearts. Same story, same resolution, but a more interesting journey.

A pity that such an original setting -British early Middle Ages-, a plot with good potential and Mr Keegan's great skill should be wasted with such a light heart.

Let us skip the ridiculous art cover, there are still so many typos as to disturb even comprehension and the blame of this belongs mostly to Gay Men's Press.

Mr Keegan though shares just as much of the blame.
In most of the pages we are faced with what looks like a summary of the story: in a third person narrative the POV shifts constantly with each paragraph and quite often even within the paragraph leading to incredible confusion.
The same facts are often repeated, often with amendments that contraddict what has already been said half a page above. This leads to many inconsistencies in plot events, characterizations and in minor but disturbing details such as people's looks.

Then, suddenly, we are faced with nearly perfect pages that hint at Mr Keegan's undoubted abilities and leave the reader with a bitter aftertaste.

First of all, someone has to do a better job in proof reading it. I noted a number of typo errors. It's not often you get to read a gay novel where sex is at the sidelines. The story is what made it worth the wait when the sex part kicks in. Drawn out in some parts but exciting in others. A definite recommendation for those who are into a romance, rather than a clinical description of the gay kama sutra.

This story begins on a tantalizing note with a wonderful description of our young hero Ronan hunting for his family's dinner. Keegan quickly brings change to our protagonist's life as he sweeps Ronan into the neighboring town where a chieftain "hires" him to train a new horse. The chieftain's son, Bryn, who is Ronan's soon-to-be-lover, is unlikeable at first (as a character). I have to give Keegan a lot of credit here, because he got me to change my mind about Bryn. Whereas, at first I was hoping Keegan wasn't seriously going to bring Ronan and Bryn together, I soon found myself cheering for them as they grew closer together. This is good character development.
Keegan's wonderful description made it easy to imagine the hardships and relative simplicity of these early Britons' lives. I love Keegan's work and once again he took me to another place and time with great ease and a terrific sense of pacing.
Despite Ronan and Bryn not having quite the same dynamic or past as for example, Robin and Dermot in "Fortunes of War," I found the pair in this novel quite sweet together and their transformation from enemies to lovers profound. As their world changed, so did their stations in life, and their feelings for one another. Their relationship is turned upside down and it's this growth and change amidst fighting to survive against the invading Angles and Saxons that is so compelling.
I was quite pleased to read another of Keegan's historical works and to find this one set in an age not overly written about in fiction. It was a delightful read with a very satisfying conclusion.

I'd buy any Keegan book like a shot - there is no such thing as a BAD Mel Keegan novel- but all I can say is, I hope it was writing another masterpiece that distracted him from his work on this one. Keegan's incredible strength as a writer comes from his power of characterisation: these two lead characters just don't come to life for me. Neither of them have any real past, where as most of Keegan's characters come with a history that makes them move as real people. And there isn't much chemistry between them or even any real friendship, although the historical setting is very well done as usual. Very often Keegan's more complex books pay off with more reading- even over time- but this one is definately on the tepid side. Roll on the next release!

This is a fun story about two young Britons whose village is devastated by Angles, one is the chief's heir, the other is a freeman who has ambitions to be a warrior. Both are brought low through this attack and have to become friends as they travel post-Roman Britain looking for safety and then joining the warriors of Eboracom. In turn they learn the value of alliances and the part love plays in their lives.