A high-octane adventure…
Durwood serves up a deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series that neatly combines the thrills and chills of action and adventure. In the first book, The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter, Salima, the daughter of a wealthy boatman, living a life of relative privilege among the chaos of everyday life longs for freedom and wish to see the world beyond her own city. When the Khedive decides to hire an entirely new staff of Egyptian receiving agents in order to curb the prevalent corruption amid the ongoing construction of Suez Canal, Salima sees it as her chance to step out of her comfort zone and achieve something, unaware of the strange path her life was going to take. Ulysses S. Grant in China: And Other Stories, the second book in the series is a collection of short stories. Set in 1587 in West Africa, “Succession,” is the story of a young African boy Kamau who is in a hurry to grow up. The idea of war with all its trapping is something Kamau finds interesting. But the actual bloodshed, violence, and death make Kamau realize being grown up takes a lot more than courage and strength. Set in 10,000 B. C, in Mesopotamia, “The Origins of Civilization,” is a coming of age story of a young girl YRDA who devises her own plan to settle scores with those who have belittled her and her mother all her life in the clan. Set in 1775, The Colonials, the third book in the series, sees six privileged students, Will, Mei Ying, Clotilde, Leo, Mahmet and Gilbert at the Academy for Royals admiring the American Colonials from afar, but quickly learn that life outside the confined walls of the Academy is not so smooth. In King James’ Seventh Company, the fourth book in the series, Durwood skillfully blends fiction with history. A young book-keeper, Matthias Skyes is assigned to work the ledgers of one of his company’s client. Matthias soon learns that the client is the King of England and there’s plenty amiss in the kingdom other than the ledgers. The construction of Durwood’s stories is complex, but the messages they carry are straightforward: Durwood’s focus stays on the relentless struggles for identity and self-discovery as he explores the resilience of human soul as well as the humanity’s inborn ability to stand tall in the face of difficulties and move on. Durwood keeps the tension high even as he cuts it with somewhat meandering prose. Cleverly juggling a seemingly impossible plethora of various historical, anthropological, and fictional elements, Durwood builds to a thrilling series of surprises that keep readers thoroughly invested. His deeply realized characters are sketched with precision and care; YRDA with her dream of having a better life is a quiet girl but is capable of great strength and cunning in the face of savagery; Kamau, the young warrior who learns a harsh lesson on a morning patrol is thoroughly winning; Salima with her dreams, aspirations, wit and intellect will stay with readers long after they finish the book. The satisfying endings and many surprising twists and revelations elevate the plot further. The meticulously rendered accompanied illustrations by Serena Malyon, Niklas Frostgard, and Oliver Ryan shimmer with depth and feeling. The fans of intricate literary fiction will find this series a bloody cut above the usual fare.
A collection of Tom Durwood’s historical fiction
(4-Books Series)
by Tom Durwood
The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter: Book 1
Price $12.00 (USD) Paperback, $9.00 Kindle edition
Ulysses S. Grant in China: And Other Stories: Book 2
Price $15.28 (USD) Hardcover, $5.67 Kindle edition
The Colonials: Book 3
Price $19.91 (USD) Hardcover
King James Seventh Company: Book 4
Price $15.28 (USD) Hardcover, $5.63 Kindle edition
