Bartle Bull (1) (1939–)

I enjoy reading these Bartle Bull novels for I like the depiction of the period, and in this case the romantic age of travel; luxury trains, exotic locations, glamorous settings, and iconic hotels. Travel during that era was confined to a small affluent class of people, and transpired under a colonial system, but that time still captures the imagination. It is timeless.

I also like what I would call the chivalrous period, when honor and ethics meant something. That is exemplified by a number of the characters in these books whether they are truly noble or not; individuals who would rather die than breach acceptable behaviors, manners and protocols.

The downside of this particular book is that there isn't a single likeable character in the whole thing. The beautiful and charming Mrs. Derrick Hammond is an okay character and is well drawn, and Olivio Fonseca Alavedo, the rich Goan dwarf, has his good sides, but he is villainous at the same time. The main character Count Alexander Karlov is a blithering idiot when it comes down to it. Chased months on end and halfway around the world, with innocent people being knocked off left and right in his stead, he still goes about his business of being fabulous while soaking up the finest of the fine things that a fabulous life has to offer. And his sister Katerina is simply a mindless twit.

The story is also just okay. The underlying story about the China Star, the voyage and the passenger liner and the ports of call are magnificent, but I never liked how it was all put together with these sets of characters.… (altro)

I liked this book, really enjoyed reading it, particularly since I didn’t think I would as it took some time for me to get into it. I generally shun stories with caricature rather than characters, but the further I read the more I grew to like them all: the beauties and the fading beauties, the wealthy and those with fading wealth; the decadence, frivolities, and entitlements of the Occidentals including their cavalier attitudes; the patient Others. The good or nearly good, and evil or nearly evil were well conceived.

The descriptions of the desert and surviving in the desert – maybe more correct to say "environments" to encompass both cities and deserts - and war and surviving in the war were superbly done. The intelligence and cunning of the hunters of both Allied and Axis forces was fascinating.

I typically do not read tales of war, but this was a good one. It was also nice to read a story about loyalty and honor, something virtually absent from 21st Century planet earth.… (altro)