Crowing about a 5* review - shameful

I'm more than a little pleased with this 5 star review of The Whole Rotten Edifice. It's written by my newest best friend, Geoffrey D West (@GeoffreyDWest or http://www.geoffreydavidwest.com).

Here's the review:

"Grim, grizzly but utterly compelling. The Whole Rotten Edifice is extremely well-written, fast paced and gripping. It tells stories about the Russian military experience in World War Two from the viewpoint of two very interesting protagonists. Sevastian is a high ranking military officer, basically decent, but betrayed by the system, so that he suffers torture, indignity and betrayal, yet he never wavers from his commitment to do his best against the odds. Concurrently we see his daughter Marta, a sniper on the front line, experiencing the true horrors of war at first hand, meeting brave partisans and treacherous officers, the majority of whom pay the ultimate price. Images of wartime atrocities stay in your mind long afterwards, such as the sharp-toothed traitor who ate his comrades to stay alive, or the horrific torture methods of the secret police. As one of the characters says, words to the effect of: wartime is an inversion of the human soul, so that evil deeds are deemed good, while good deeds, such as acts of kindness and mercy, are classified as weaknesses. The book leaves us with some hope for the future, but also the chilling insight that this corrupt, inept, divisive and completely directionless empire has a gargantuan power that probably continues to this day. This is a novel about brave, basically well-intentioned people doing their very best, but shackled into obsequious servitude under the searchlight of an all-powerful evil madness that cannot be resisted. It adds to your knowledge of the depths of cruelty people are capable of, as well as the bravery of the human spirit to resist just about any hardship on earth. Read this book and you will never forget the nuggets of insight into the nature of a cruel vicious system that is fatally flawed. Before reading this I thought that Hitler was World War Two's ultimate monster, whereas now I'm not so sure."

Many thanks to Geoffrey, who is obviously a very discerning fellow.

Parole Parlate 3rd May

I'm really looking forward to performing at this event on Thursday 3rd May, and more than a little flattered that the organiser, Lisa Ventura, has asked me to headline the evening.

https://www.facebook.com/events/286416874777847/

I'll be reading a couple of stories from my spoof parish mag for the benighted village of Little Hope, plus giving an airing to some of my new stand-up material. Better get practising...

Self-publishing - a US agent's perspective

Here's an interesting article on the new wave of interest in self-publishing, from US agent Jenny Bent, cocking a snook at the East Coast literary establishment.

http://ht.ly/8wSWy

Review for The Whole Rotten Edifice

Authonomy user Jeff Shear (aka wordgopher) has posted this generous review for the first part of my historical novel, The Whole Rotten Edifice. Many thanks to Jeff.

"In the first moments of his historical fiction, The Whole Rotten Edifice, author Tony Judge neatly laces one of World War Two's enduring mysteries to a certain truth, the fact that momentous times are invisible to those whom they engulf. In this case, the book opens on the grand question of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, which asks – to borrow a phrase from American history -- what did Stalin know about Hitler's plans to invade the Soviet Union and when did he know it? 

Rendering a historical challenge of that magnitude through the incongruities of the human spirit signals not just a good read but an intelligent one, and necessarily fictional. 

The book's opening is inked with the strokes of a calvary saber. Great plains roll from Berlin to Moscow, soon to be plowed by artillerymen; a dirt road is as potholed as Stalin's collectives; and a Russian commander is less trusted by the Soviet peasants of Belorussia than the Nazi formations grinding toward their dry fields.

Judge signals his control of events – and specifically those particularly difficult to describe events of movement, shock and chaos – through tight close-ups and acute characterization: the brief clip of a weary chestnut plow horse's “great hind muscles” glossy and rippling with effort; an unintended phrase swollen with portent -- the request by a peasant for a doctor who will be “busy very soon” -- snatched instantly for its significance by a Russian general, a man we will come to admire for his patience and doomed initiative.

“At 4am as he trudged across the compound to his quarters... a low hum in the West resolved into a solid wave of aircraft engine noise.” Yes, our general realizes, doctors will be necessary. 

Then instantly, the scope of the Nazi onslaught is instantly upon us. “...the pause between each flash and its accompanying explosion grew briefer and briefer until it disappeared.” Those are the doors of death slamming shut, and our hero dives through them into a crowded shelter, as if body surfing their blast waves.

Can Judge keep this up? I don't know. But I feel I am in grasp of tour de force that promises to join the ranks of literature through the microcosm of the archetypal Russian general, who may well have saved the world; and his daughter, one of the daring women snipers who picked apart the advancing Nazi infantry, and who may well have saved those archetypal Russian Generals . 

I've been over this battlefield several times now, and recognize a writer in command of his characters, their predicaments and antagonists, as well as the human factor, the very close but always impossible human distance that exists between father and daughter."


More reviews here:
http://www.authonomy.com/books/33469/the-whole-rotten-edifice/

Nice review for The Whole Rotten Edifice

The Harper Collins Authonomy blog has just posted this very positive review for The Whole Rotten Edifice, my historical novel about the Russian Front during WWII.

Here is the link: http://blog.authonomy.com/2011/11/one-to-watch-wednesday.html?spref=tw

And a quote from the review below:

"

One to Watch Wednesday

After discussing dystopian futures last week, I thought it would be fitting to look in the other direction and have a peek at some of the best stories on authonomy set in the past. 

Historical fiction is a particularly difficult genre to get right. It requires impeccable research, strong characterisation, and that certain je ne sais quoi that hooks the reader into this era, over all others. This week's one to watch, I think, looks to have the makings of that special something:                             

The Whole Rotten Edifice  by Tony Judge

The Whole Rotten Edifice opens in 1941. We're on the cusp of the Nazi German invasion of Soviet Russia. The opening chapter sets up a quick-paced narrative, but, just as the rest of the novel appears to be, the action is driven by the characters. At the novel's heart is the strong bond between a father and his daughter. The dialogue is brilliant, and very convincing. The content is heavy going - but what novel of the Second World War isn't? It's an era that never gets tired, and the particular focus of this novel, the defense of Moscow, is an especially fresh angle. 

The first 10 chapters are available to read on authonomy. 

Advice for writers from writers
Check out this link to a Guardian article where famous writers give advice on writing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one
Two of my favourites:
Roddy Doyle: Do not place a photograph of your ­favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide.
PD James: Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.

Sirocco Express reviewed by Gap-Year.com

www.gap-year.com, the website for people taking a travelling break from education or their career, has been kind enough to review my first novel, Sirocco Express. Here is what the Gap-Year.com reviewer had to say:

"Here’s an unusual travel tale. A young Nigerian student sets out from Lagos to travel by truck across the desert towards Europe.

Initially naïve, Adebayo soon realises that his “escorts” Odion and Dele are not quite what they seemed.
 
He has paid a fortune for a ride in a truck operated as a business by people smugglers transporting people desperate to escape the poverty of their various homelands. Adebayo is plunged into a brutal, callous and selfish world as the truck makes its way from Lagos through Benin, Mali and on northwards till, two days away from Marrakech Adebayo is attacked and abandoned by Dele and left for dead.

He is rescued and cared for by an elderly couple then, walking through forest for a week and sleeping rough, finally he makes it to the Spanish enclave of Ceuto, Morocco, - and the high, double security fence designed to prevent would-be migrants into Europe from reaching their destination.

We won’t spoil the ending – you’ll have to read it for yourselves if you want to find out whether Adebayo reaches his goal.

This is a vivid account of the extreme ordeal many migrants undergo in their search for a better, more secure life."

Review of Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Golgol’s historical novel tells the story of a late sixteenth century Zaporozhian Cossack commander and his two sons. It is set in what is now Eastern Ukraine, an area that was then on the fringes of the Polish Empire. Taras Bulba, with the help of his sons, instigates a revolt against the Poles. Part of the old man’s motivation is to ensure the survival of a warrior tradition in his people, and, more particularly, his sons. The narrative is drenched in the blood that flows from this decision. The prose has a simple, mythic quality that lifts it above the specific time and place of the narrative. This short, but epic, story gives us an insight into the mythology of Russia.

We see the consequences of Taras Bulba’s obsession with his warrior’s craft, when, on a rare visit to his home, his wife begs to be allowed some more time with her sons. Bulba disregards her wishes, and the three set out on their campaign, leaving her weeping in their wake. In this scene, Gogol brilliantly encapsulates the irreconcilable tensions between a settled family life and his protagonist’s desire for military glory. The Cossack Brotherhood is an all-male society, unmoderated by the influence of women. Later, Bulba and his sons spend time in an extraordinary warrior encampment, where itinerant Cossacks can meet and swap stories of their latest campaigns. The battle scenes in Taras Bulba do not stint from showing the terrible savagery of the fighting. The cost of the Cossacks’ pride is a staggeringly high death toll for the Brotherhood.

A major theme of the book is the need to choose between love for a woman and loyalty to one’s comrades. One of Bulba’s sons falls in love with a Polish noblewoman and changes sides. Bulba’s merciless sense of honour compels him to take revenge on his own son.

The book also gives an insight into the marginalised lives of Eastern European Jews. Despite their vital role in commerce, they are spurned and persecuted by the Cossacks. Yet it is Yenkel, a Jewish trader, who leads Bulba, at great risk, to visit his second son, who has been captured by the Polish enemy.

I would recommend this book to anyone. The grand themes of the narrative transcend its historical and cultural setting. For those interested in the origins of the Russian character, it holds great riches.

Review of Stalingrad by Antony Beevor

Antony Beevor’s masterly account of one of the key battles of WWII combines the readability of a novel with the deep research of a professional historian. He looks at the battle from the perspectives of the Soviet high command, the German high command, and ordinary soldiers on both sides of the conflict. This is essentially a military history, so its main purpose is not to examine the moral questions behind Operation Barbarossa. Yet Beevor still leaves the reader with a deep distaste for the wicked decisions made by the German leadership in their desire to pursue a war of extermination, and for the callous way that the Soviet command squandered the lives of millions of Red Army soldiers. The strategic blunders on both sides are dissected with great precision. The Wehrmacht paid dearly for Hitler’s belief in his military destiny and habit of overriding the better judgement of its senior commanders. On the Soviet side, Stalin also made some catastrophic decisions in the run up to the siege at Stalingrad, resulting in many divisions of the Red Army being wiped out or captured.

Beevor is eloquent in describing the Soviet recovery at Stalingrad and their skilful exploitation of deep reserves in territory and manpower. The cynical calculations of the Soviet high command are also examined. For example, the 62nd Army, under General Vasily Chuikov, was left to fight for weeks in the killing ground on the west bank of the Volga, wholly unaware that a massive counteroffensive was being planned to relieve it. The knowledge of this potential relief might have taken the edge off a desperate Soviet resistance, so it was kept secret even from the commanders of the 62nd.

The Eastern Front has been called the worst war in history. After reading Beevor’s gripping account of these terrible events, it is difficult to argue with this conclusion. If you only ever read one book about the history of the Eastern Front, let it be this one.

Another review for Sirocco Express

My first novel, Sirocco Express, received this five-star review on the Amazon UK site from reviewer, Xena. (Many thanks to Xena).

What are the causes of human migration? What drives people to leave their native countries? You may think it's the allure of a better life or political persecution. Think again. Think deeper. Open your mind. That's what this remarkable book prompts you to do. See the world on the other side of the `wall', but see it differently.

The book follows the story of a young Nigerian man, Adebayo, who has a comfortable life in his home country, who is not persecuted or wanted, yet he leaves his home one day and embarks on a perilous and arduous journey to Europe that may well claim his life. What has moved him to take such a drastic step? Would you risk your life unless you were really desperate?

Adebayo doesn't risk his life on a whim. He has very good reasons to do what he does. He is indeed desperate, but his despair is caused not by starvation or disease.

As with most of us, Adebayo can't stop thinking about his life and its place in the greater scheme of things. And what he comes to realise with horror is that the greater scheme has no place for him at all.

The average life has a monotonous pace. Very little of what we do has a meaning or long term effects. Almost nothing has any interest to anyone outside our households. When we speak, no one hears. Self-expression becomes almost pointless. `When will you understand that you are invisible,' Adebayo tells himself. `That ...no one has the slightest interest in what you think, or feel or do? You are as a grain of dust on the hide of an elephant.'

Adebayo suffers from his own insignificance. And he is determined to make an impression on the wider world, to break free from the monotony of the everyday life. This journey is his cry for help, his desperate bid for freedom.

This brilliant book offers an undeniably unconventional, yet very convincing, take on the causes of migration. People migrate not simply because they seek a prosperous life. They do so because they seek a fulfilled life. It's not only deprivation that compels people to go to the extremes of suffering in order to change their abode. People migrate for the same reasons they conquer Everest, for the same reasons they create and invent - to overcome their own insignificance, to leave a mark on this world. In that, this book has a truly universal appeal. No matter who you are or what you strive for, you are bound to connect with Adebayo and admire his quest...

Review of Things Fall Apart by Chinhua Achebe

In Things Fall Apart, Nigerian author, Chinhua Achebe, presents a vision of a society which existed in southern Nigeria before the arrival of British colonists in the 1890s. Polytheistic religion is deeply enmeshed in the social and cultural values of the Umoafia clan. Okonkwo, the main character, is a leading member of the clan. He embodies their prized virtues: strength, masculinity, hard work and proficiency as a warrior. Okonkwo is a proud and domineering man, who rules over his family as a feared patriarch. In Okonkwo, Achebe shows us that the pre-Christian Igbo had a sophisticated social system, which belies the anarchic vision of African society presented by western writers such as Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness. Yet Achebe is not at all sentimental about this pre-Christian society. He is unsparing in his depiction of the cruelty which Okonkwo inflicts on those around him in order to demonstrate his manhood.

The tragedy, which lies at the heart of Things Fall Apart, begins with the arrival of white missionaries. They find converts among the Umoafia, creating conflict with those who wish to retain the traditional ways. The introduction of Christianity is a cancer which rapidly destroys the fabric of the old society and subjugates Okonkwo's people to the mores and institutions introduced by the whites. This is more than Okonkwo can bear; eventually he kills himself.

In addition to its major message about the undervaluing of pre-colonial African societies in subsequent histories of the period, Things Fall Apart has much to say about the importance of kin relationships in preserving social stability. It also attacks the notion that qualities such as masculinity are fixed and unrelated to social expectations. The clash of cultures, which occurred in many parts of Africa during the colonial era, is brilliantly encapsulated in the struggle between the Umoafia and the white missionaries. Achebe is critical of the view that cultural identity is an immutable quality. People such as Okonkwo, who cannot adapt to changing times, are vanquished by new ideas and waves of migration.

Achebe's novel is rightly regarded as a classic of post-colonial African literature, and has made its way onto the reading lists of college courses worldwide. It is also a major bestseller, having sold over eight million copies.

It is recommended as a powerful insight into African history, told from the perspective of a society which existed before British colonists arrived in what is now Nigeria.

Review for Sirocco Express

Anne Brooke – the poet and novelist – has been kind enough to review my novel, Sirocco Express.

(Anne's writings, including her most recent novel, Maloney's Law, are featured on her website http://www.annebrooke.com/ and are available online with Amazon etc.).

Here is a copy of the five-star review that she posted on the Amazon UK site. Many thanks to Anne for her generous comments.

Sirocco Express is a powerful novel of journey, discovery and how to be human in an increasingly inhuman world. Adebayo, a young Nigerian, leaves his home in Lagos and embarks on an extraordinarily difficult journey to try to discover a better life in Europe. The journey is in marked contrast to the comforts and familiarity of home which are touched on very effectively in the first few chapters, although even so the themes of potential displacement and dis-content are never absent. I did find the final scenes between Adebayo and his father in this section, brief though they are, particularly moving.

Once established on his flight to the "good life", Adebayo finds himself in a shockingly unfamiliar world, accompanied by people smugglers and desperate companions, most of whom it would be wiser not to trust. In these circumstances, he must find his feet and try to carve out a place for himself. It is here that his instincts to do what is right bring him into dangerous conflict with the smugglers and make him what is essentially a marked man. The descriptions of the journey taken and of the people the migrants meet along the way are measured and clear, and it is especially interesting how the beauty of the landscape becomes bleak, coloured by the reasons for the journey itself.

On the way, there are moments of high drama, danger and death, placed alongside well-researched realism of how the people smuggling process actually operates. The final destination of Adebayo's travels, the ups and downs of his secret new life and the clever twist at the end are well worth the journey. Taken as a whole, the character of Adebayo in fact becomes a type of modern "Everyman" figure as his story, although unfamiliar in its detail to most of us in the West, contains elements of desire, search, vision and need common to us all. Indeed, with this in mind, there are also echoes of the novels of Paul Coelho in the way Sirocco Express is written: in short, it's one to read, one to ponder over and one to keep.

Brief review of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Gilead is Marilynne Robinson's second novel and was published 20 years after her acclaimed debut, Housekeeping. It takes the form of a long letter written by an elderly American preacher to his young son. Gilead recounts the family's history over several generations and distils the knowledge that the old man has gleaned from his years of study and reflection. The subject matter may appear uninviting to some readers, but persistence will bring rich rewards. This is a book to read slowly. The wisdom of a lifetime is woven deeply into the fabric of its narrative. I found myself constantly re-reading passages as I revelled in the simple power of Robinson's prose. Her mastery over her craft is humbling.

Some reviews for Sirocco Express

I've received several reviews for Sirocco Express and (whew, what a relief) they are all very positive.

Here are some extracts:


"Authors like William Faulkner and poet Emily Dickinson or Robert Frost had a true craft for writing those descriptive, yet simple, images that stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Judge indeed has that craft. ... Sirocco Express is a brilliant tale of one man’s determination to fulfill his dreams. ... The author has labeled it as a “contemporary novel about migration,” but it is much more than that. It is a wholesome and heartfelt adventure that reminds me of the imaginative worlds and trips I discovered and fell in love with the first time I ever picked up a book."
Shannon Yarbrough, The Lulu Book Review
Read the whole review here:
http://lulubookreview.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/review-19-sirocco-express-by-tony-judge/

"A real page-turner. Brilliantly researched and utterly convincing - so much so that you feel you are there and being drawn into the action. I can't wait for this author's next book."
(William) John Newton, novelist and columnist.

"The book was a classic 'page turner' and completely un-put-down-able. With only a few pages left I could not help wondering how it would end and where Adebayo's eventful journey would lead him. The ending, when it arrived was wonderful and eminently satisfying."
Jillian King, Worcester Writers' Circle

"There are unpleasant realities to be found in the reading of this bleak tale, but it makes the reader pay attention to life in another part of the world. You'll like Adebayo and many of the people you'll meet in these pages. A tale worth reading for anyone who likes stories about people and their struggles to survive. Adebayo could be said to represent an entire generation on a continent that hasn't yet learned where its going. Recommended as a read that will open your eyes and have you asking youself "Why"? Yet, the ending gives us hope. Talented author Tony Judge opens a door to a world we don't know or understand with his clear inner vision."
Anne K. Edwards, The Slippery Book Review