A complex but engaging narrative of historical events.
By Lee Polevoi ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2023
Gabriel Ash, the ambassador for a fictional Soviet bloc country, finds himself in a difficult situation when he goes off-message in Polevoi’s novel. As a young boy, he saved the life of King Josef of the small European nation of Keshnev, and now, 40 years later, he is accused of trying to kill the nation’s dictator. For decades, he has been parroting the Soviet line against the West while enjoying the West’s luxuries in New York City. However, during the Falkland Islands conflict in 1982, he speaks his mind in front of the U.N. Security Council, leading to serious consequences. Ash is then taken to a castle in the Lesser Alps of the Warsaw Pact satellite state, where Comrade Pavel gives him the chance to record his confessions before facing a tribunal. His story begins with his parents, missionaries from America, who moved to Europe after his brother Willy died of tuberculosis. They eventually settled in the village of Rogvald in Keshnev, and it was there that 12-year-old Gabriel saved the king from assassination, making him a celebrity. Polevoi’s novel follows Ash’s story as he records his confessions, and in moments when the recorder is off, readers get Ash’s observations of his private imprisonment and his plans to escape. Ash also tells his story to a captivated audience, and readers get to experience the same anticipation as they wait to find out what happens next. Through this narrative, Polevoi shows that he knows how to spin a tale that delivers on all its promises while continuing to surprise to the very end.
Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781955062589
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Running Wild Press
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2023