Simon Tolkien

I was chosen by Netgalley to receive an advanced reader copy of “No Man’s Land” by Simon Tolkien. Given that fact, it has not altered my opinion on the book at all. “No Man’s Land” has a scheduled release date of January 24th 2017.

There are two main reasons why I wanted to review this book. First and foremost, with a last name Tolkien, and a nerd rep on the line, it’s kind of a given to pay homage to a man that sucked me into the fantasy realm. I was beyond excited to learn that this is Tolkien’s grandson writing this book. Secondly, can I just say that this cover is so eye catching? If this book were sitting on a shelf in a bookstore, I would be drawn to it, regardless of what genre it is in. I earnestly hope to go into this book without any predilection. While I am a completely immersed and won over by “Middle Earth”, I’m excited to have a completely different scope into the mind of a Tolkien.

“No Man’s Land” (I’m going to say) is divided into 3 parts:
1. Pre-war- character descriptions, locations, background
2. Mid-war- a very “Saving Private Ryan” description, not for the faint of heart
3. Post-war- how the war has affected the characters, and continues to affect surrounding people.

For the complete review, please visit:

https://quitterstrip.wordpress.com/2016/11/28/its-the-promise-of-heaven/… (more)

Adam Raine's path from child to man is an especially rocky one: First, he loses his mother in a freak accident during one of this father's labor demonstrations in London. Then, after a fresh beginning in the rural countryside, his father dies attempting to rescue the dowager Lady Scarsdale in a fire at the manor house started during labor unrest at the mines. Adam's adoption into the Scarsdale family rouses the contempt of the baronet's younger son. Then the Great War breaks out, and Adam is launched into a series of horrors worse than he could possibly have imagined. One of the few bright lights in his life is the parson's daughter Miriam. -- Involving story with periodic eruptions of suspense (down the mines, on the battlefield). Ever-so-slightly predictable, which is why I've withheld the final, fifth star, but still an enjoyable reading experience from an author I really like.… (more)