Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Review of NIght of the Cossacks by Tom Blubaugh

Review of Night of the Cossacks By Tom Blubaugh
 
Tom Blubaugh’s novel Night of the Cossacks takes the reader back to the not to distant past when: the tsar ruled Russia, the Cossacks considered themselves freemen, and the start of the Russian Revolution.

This is a story of a young boy grown to manhood under captivity by the Cossacks. He was forced to change his name and religion, in order to survive. He was trained to be a Cossack, but was conscripted into the Russian Army. After the death of his mentor, he was betrayed by his boyhood friend, who knew his true identity, and had to flee for his life.

His odyssey takes him through many strange places and people. Careful to keep his identity a secret, he was fearful of spies everywhere working for the Russian Secret Police who were searching for him. One slip and he would be lost. After many struggles, he finds his way into a settlement that offers him refuge, still all is not safe. He signs on to the crew of a cargo ship, which he learns in time will sail across the ocean to freedom where he can safely reclaim his true identity.

Although this story is fiction, it has the ring of truth to it. A truth where one’s faith, could mean the difference between life or death during those precarious times. Intolerance, hatred, and jealousy ran rampart during that time period. To betray a friend for one’s own revenge became an obsession for one who knew the truth. But if one’s faith is strong, through all adversity in the end they will triumph. This novel is a good read not only for adults but for children as well. Enjoy it, I did.

 Reviewed by Elena Dorothy Bowman, Author of the Sarah’s Landing Series, The Legacy Series, Time-Rift, The Imposter, The Odyssey and Catherine’s Ring. – May, 2012 ISBN# 978-0-9829029-2-9 Date Published: 2011 – 250 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction