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| English: General Robert E. Lee mounted on Traveller, his famous "war horse". (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
By Charles C. Anderson
Amazing Action Adventure!
Fantastic Setting! - I Want to Visit!
Unbelievable Main Character - Is he real?
Having read The First to Say No by Dr. Anderson and loved it, I knew to expect a good book when The Farm was sent my way...but, this book is a perfect example of why rankings just don't work...Do you go back and say I've got to lower the ranking on the other one--this one is fantastic! The truth is that both are great books and while I appreciated the purpose and the story in The First To Say No, I was overwhelmed with what The Farm presented to me. Comparing the two is impossible; they are both great in their different objectives.
First, Dr. Anderson uses his total life experience in presenting The Farm to us! The setting is just unbelievable for historical value as well as for we who are spelunking enthusiasts! For history buffs, there is a subplot about the civil war from a slavery and genealogical viewpoint, as well as for civil war enthusiasts... If even a small part of the weapons and memorabilia from that time are real...let's just say, I'd like to see a brick of the confederate gold! In addition to the historical weapons, any weapons enthusiast will be thrilled with the quantity and variety there on the Farm (or brought in...)..
Now to give her credit (and blame), that lady happens to be a CIA Agent and she's in love with Andy Carlson. She's also the one who betrayed and lied to him, put a knife in his chest, stole his truck and ran! When she returns to The Farm later, she has been assigned to deal with a weapons purchase that is being made by Carlson...only to get caught in an explosion! Andy moves from his role as a SEAL to being a field surgeon--as her baby is coming--smoothly and with ease...OMG, what exciting scenes readers will be sharing with me!
And that is just one example of the twist of characters, where the assumed good guys are really bad--and the assumed bad guys are the ones there to help! In this world, one never knows who to trust and Anderson has done an excellent job in bringing that concern to fictional reality! So Cool!
I don't think I've read any author that had both military and medical training to the extent of being an expert in both fields. Dr. Anderson's personal history has undoubtedly led to his interest and research into the Civil War in Virginia in particular. All I can say is that when you read a novel from an expert in multiple professional fields, you are getting much more than the norm--this is an exceptional read for detail in the fields of medicine and weapons, especially. Gaining the expertise for the setting can only come from walking that land...and I wish I could do just that--Explore that Farm myself! The descriptions provided only whetted my love of woodlands, older buildings and caverns and their beauty!
Simply, one of the best novels I've ever read...
GABixlerReviews
Dr. Anderson is also the author of The First to Say No!
What a nice review. This sounds like an interesting book with history and suspense.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gail--good to have your feedback!
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