Book reviews: August 2022
Deals on Wheels reviews some of the titles to hit NZ bookshelves this month
The Greatest Escape
Neil Churches
$39.99
Macmillan
Reviewed by Brett Arnold
Australian Ralph Churches is left behind in Greece and captured by the Germans imprisoned in Stalag XVIID Slovenia. The book reflects the atrocities of war, highlighted by courage, comradery, and the efforts of the Partisan underground forces to assist in their escape effort.
It’s well summed up by the motto: ‘First escape yourself, then go back for your mates.’ Having already read Escaping Hitler and watched The Freedom Trails on TV, I was aware of the basis of the story, but if you haven’t seen it or want a more in-depth view, you won’t be disappointed with this book.
Atlas Six
Olivie Blake
$34.99
Macmillan
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
In a world where magic co-exists with normality, six young gifted meidians (yes, it’s a new word to me as well, but loosely translates to academic magicians) are selected for a year-long stint with a secret society.
Each has their own talent, such as controlling matter, communicating with plants, telepathy—you get the picture. So, while all that is superbly written, we soon find one of the six must be sacrificed to enable the others to be initiated into society.
Yes, correct. All that clever writing underpins what could be termed a magical version of The Hunger Games or worse still, an episode of Survivor.
Sons of a Good Keen Man
The Crump Brothers
$38
Penguin Random House
Reviewed By Steve Atkinson
In what must have been a massive saving in therapy fees, the six sons of Kiwi icon Barry Crump describe the effect he had on them growing up in the shadow of their mostly absent father.
They tell us how their adult lives were impacted by him, although what they said didn’t really raise any new red flags with me. Ok, it wasn’t all bad, but it wasn’t too flash either.
While their telling had more information, the theme was much the same and most of us were already aware of his somewhat dubious reputation. With Barry’s legend still held in high regard by the public and some corporations, it will be interesting to see if it holds up to scrutiny in this day and age, as the boys finally get to put their side of the Crump story forward.
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