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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Company of the Dead by David Kowalski (view source)
Revision as of 17:01, 8 September 2012
, 17:01, 8 September 2012no edit summary
The first thing you'll notice about this book is that it's the thickness of a house brick. (Yes, I do know for sure as, yes, I did measure it against one.) A writer is either skilful or daft to set out on such a tree-full of pages for their first novel. Which of the two is David Kowalski? Well, readers, our luck is in – this is a good read.
This latest contribution to the 'Alternative History' genre is actually two books in one. It begins with detailed historical fiction as we see the Titanic through the eyes of the time traveller, Wells. (A clever homage to the writer of ''The Time Machine'', HG Wells.) The research is meticulously studied and is inserted seamlessly into the narrative without the superfluous 'I've learnt this so it goes in the book' syndrome suffered from by some writers. The rest of the book is a fast-paced thriller, similar to a [[:Category:Ken Follett|Ken Follett]]. The clock is ticking, the powers that be will do anything to shut Kennedy down and yet he has a long way to go with his odd assortment of a team of experts.
Whilst we're on the subject, Kowalski is a dab hand at writing a Kennedy. Although fictional, Joseph is a good extrapolation of his family's characteristics and attributes. He's a charismatic hero with an undeniable twinkle and a definite sense of humour, even when under pressure. If anything, once he's been introduced into the story, he's missed whenever the narrative thread wanders elsewhere. This is only a minor worry though, as he's never out of the picture for long.
