Customer Reviews

Land of the Morning Storm

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Make no mistake about it, this is an incredibly tender love story set in the midst of a brutual war. As the Korean Communist North sweeps South, so does the emotions of the reader. The story is masterfully written depicting how the war challenged not only the love between a man and a woman, but also brother for brother and people for its country. This novel has all the makings of an Academy Award winning film!

To allow this year to pass without reading Land of the Morning Storm is to allow the 20th century to have passed without having read Gone With the Wind. This is an intimate story of the Korean War: the war that made Korean and American children, women and grown men alike, cry, then and now still. May God have mercy that no one will have to face what two brothers, two lovers and two leaders of the world faced in this saga of the forgotten war.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Barry Briggs' "Land of the Morning Storm". What a delightful surprise this novel is! No where in our cultural media is there a comparable epic story about such a defining moment in the cold war history of the twentieth century. It's hard to believe the Korean War has never been explored so theatrically before this novel's recent publication. Beyond the satire of M.A.S.H. (and maybe Sinatra's unusual role in "The Manchurian Candidate") few truly dramatic stories have delved into this fertile ground of civil upheaval and political chess playing. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a thrilling story that rings true with historical detail, and which also remains altogether relevant to this day.

The story of "Land of the Morning Storm" revolves around a patriarchal family in a remote South Korean village that is torn apart by the North Korean invasion. With echoes of our own civil war as a common thread - i.e., confused ideologies, brother-fighting-against-brother, etc. - the story quickly weaves into a giant tapestry of secret love and strained loyalties, local rivalry and international strategy, tearful partings and bittersweet reunions, all centered around the incredible journey of the protagonist, American Captain "Hay" Alexander, and his Korean lover/wife, Kyong-ee. Think of the war scenes in "Gone with the Wind" with the gripping travails of "Cold Mountain" and you begin to get the picture. I must admit my favorite scenes are those that reveal the inner workings of the big political players, from the rebel-turned-dictator, Kim Il-Sung, to the legendary and brilliant General Douglas MacArthur and his strained relations with President Eisenhower. History is always more enjoyable when it's woven into a good story, and those that cleverly contrast events between the powerful and meek are always the most entertaining, as this novel illustrates.

I heartily recommend this book. Mr. Briggs has tapped into a neglected treasure trove of wartime drama that begs to be filmed for the big screen. This is an undisputed winner!