Customer Reviews

Gondar

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the very first page Luard captivates the reader with his vivid and passionate portrayal of royal intrigue and sheer adventure. The tale begins in ancient Abyssinia where the queen of the nile is impregnated via sinister and mysterious means. She lives in affluent splendour among lust and savagery. In a neighbouring kingdom, the author invites us to witness the kidnapping of the royal twins Toomi and Mamkinga. As Luard's intricate tapestry unfolds, we follow the twins' separation and painfully unjust descent into slavery. Their journeys are wrought with countless horrific events embedded in the constant longing each twin feels for being reunited with the other half of their being. Powerful and viscious figures forever loom in the shadows of this richly depicited tale, including the brutal arab Acab Saat, who is to be the dagger that attempts to shred the very fabric of Africa's kingdoms. Throughout Luard's epic we also delve into the faraway shores of Ireland, where Jamie Oran surpasses his devastating past to venture into Africa, and finds his destiny at the source of the nile.

Luard has a talent for relentlessly drawing the reader into the story until they gasp for breath, eyes bulging in wonderment at the brutality humankind is capable of in the context of this historical and cultural landscape. At times i was convinced that Luard must have lived in Africa to write with such vision and complexity about this exotic realm. Although the journey extends from Africa to the United Kingdom, Luard is consistent in the integrity and resilience that is found in our heroes, and the same demonic cruelty in our villains. His statements about human nature are constant: insecurity and lust make for a dangerous combination. The characters' heartwrenching struggles are upsetting in their realism, yet are essential components of Luard's image of an epic battle for freedom and love.

Gondar is a pleasant suprise that I found while roaming my father's bookshelves. You won't be let down. A great storyteller, Luard glues your eyes to the pages, using words as his only adhesive. A must read.

the ingredients of this epic adventure novel: two royal african twins sold into slavery,a beautiful princess fleeing from a evil priest who takes over her land and daring young scottish adventurer who aids her.This novel has all the ingredients of classic epic adventure story with raiders of the lost ark style action,old-fashioned heroes and ravishing romance!I hope the author writes again because he has alot of talent!

Every now and again this reviewer comes across a deceptively ordinary book that is overshadowed by the usual best seller list, but "Gondar" is a very definite standout. The pace and scope is reminiscent of late nineteenth century author Edgar Rider Haggard and his famous "King Solomon's Mines" and has the same gripping interest as any of Mr Haggard's African works. From the moment the reader turns the pages he or she is transported into the fascinating but often incredibly brutal world of early nineteenth century Africa,and the beauty, majesty and mysticism of this ancient yet raw continent and its people. The story revolves around four very different principal characters, all destinied to draw together to overthrow a common enemy.

Rachel is the empress-elect of Gondar, one of three ancient kingdoms that make up what is now known as Ethiopia (or Abyssinia as it was previously called). When evil insurgents seize the kingdom,led by the fanatical Akaab Saat, the young Rachel is forced to flee for her life and becomes a helpless outcast. Meanwhile in one of the other three kingdoms, royal twins Toomi and Mamkinga have fallen prey to vicious slave traders and have been seperated by different masters. However, the powerful psychic bond they share ensures they are never truly apart and during the long years of servitude, as both grow to maturity, both await the day they can renunite again. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, young Scottish explorer Jamie Oran has long dreamed of following in the footsteps of his idol, David Livingstone, and is about to embark on a hazardous expedition into the heart of Africa to search for the legendary Mountains of the Moon. By chance, the adult Rachel and Toomi become best friends during their wanderings across Africa and find unexpected help and protection from an Arab chieftain, the charismatic Hadji, who forms an attachment to the wilful Toomi. Meanwhile a timely life-saving encounter from a wrecked slave ship sees Mamkinga and Jamie forge a powerful bond between them.

I absolutely loved this book. There are powerful elements of fantasy woven in with history, adventure, romance and at times unspeakable brutality, the African slave trade of the time especially raw in its almost unbelievable depiction of man's inhumanity to man. While Toomi is fortunate to have a fearsome but fair and not unkind owner during her captivity, her brother Mamkinga is not so lucky and it is through his eyes we truly see the horrors of slavery for what they are. Contrasted to this is the opulent, exotic and ritual laden existence Rachel has been born into and the humble, windswept islands of the Outer Hebrides where Jamie spins his dreams. How this foursome finally unite and march on Gondar to restore justice and order to a land gone mad is an epic triumph not only of might but of the spirit and is guaranteed to keep any reader glued to the pages until the end. As Hadji and Toomi's relationship grows, so does the love between Rachel and Jamie, both knowing that sooner or later the sheer difference between their worlds will force them apart. There is much, much more in this book but you have to read it to truly appreciate it all. A definite must for those long winter evenings!