Andersonville is the bold new entry in the world of magic and historical fiction from author Edward M. Erdelac. Prisoner of War camps are never an pleasant subject, and Andersonville (Fort Sumpter POW Camp) with it's infamous history, made for an interesting backdrop.
This fictional account of some of the happenings there is brought to us primarily from the point of view of one Barclay Lourdes. Barclay becomes a resident of Andersonville by unique circumstance in that he went there on purpose. I won't go too deep into the why's and how's of it because, I think the exposition of Mr. Lourdes is half the journey of this story. To be sure, he and many of his fellow captives and even some of the captors are compelling characters. We not only get to struggle with our perceptions of people in this world but, Barclay's perceptions as well. This is a story that has characters development set down layer by layer until we start to see who are the good, the bad and the evil. There are a few scattered flat characters that serve as plot devices but, they are used judiciously and don't crowd the scenes.
The scenes are where I start to have some difficulty. The difficulty, however, is all mine. I was blessed (or sometimes cursed) with an excellent imagination. Wonderful when it comes to flying on dragon back or walking through an elfin forest. When it comes to spending time in a Confederate POW camp of the American Civil War, an excellent imagination can make things difficult. When the descriptions are so well done, it can be downright disturbing ( I had to limit my reading to non-meal times). Conditions of that era were hard and in any prison more so. In a place where human life became a bargaining chip to a lost cause, conditions had to be horrific. To do this in any other fashion would take away from the total impact of the story. While it's hard to bear at times, the stark realism of the story is necessary to the narrative.
The story as a whole is well done. The pacing is done so that revelations are made at the best time to maintain the sense of suspense and drama. Edward Erdelac masterfully pulls back the veil of each scene and character and draws us deeper into this macabre world.
Andersonville by Edward M. Erdelac is a journey back to a time when the world was simpler, more barbaric and yet full of mystery and magic. This is one I definitely put in the PG13 bordering on R range due to its disturbing imagery and some mature subject matters.
This fictional account of some of the happenings there is brought to us primarily from the point of view of one Barclay Lourdes. Barclay becomes a resident of Andersonville by unique circumstance in that he went there on purpose. I won't go too deep into the why's and how's of it because, I think the exposition of Mr. Lourdes is half the journey of this story. To be sure, he and many of his fellow captives and even some of the captors are compelling characters. We not only get to struggle with our perceptions of people in this world but, Barclay's perceptions as well. This is a story that has characters development set down layer by layer until we start to see who are the good, the bad and the evil. There are a few scattered flat characters that serve as plot devices but, they are used judiciously and don't crowd the scenes.
The scenes are where I start to have some difficulty. The difficulty, however, is all mine. I was blessed (or sometimes cursed) with an excellent imagination. Wonderful when it comes to flying on dragon back or walking through an elfin forest. When it comes to spending time in a Confederate POW camp of the American Civil War, an excellent imagination can make things difficult. When the descriptions are so well done, it can be downright disturbing ( I had to limit my reading to non-meal times). Conditions of that era were hard and in any prison more so. In a place where human life became a bargaining chip to a lost cause, conditions had to be horrific. To do this in any other fashion would take away from the total impact of the story. While it's hard to bear at times, the stark realism of the story is necessary to the narrative.
The story as a whole is well done. The pacing is done so that revelations are made at the best time to maintain the sense of suspense and drama. Edward Erdelac masterfully pulls back the veil of each scene and character and draws us deeper into this macabre world.
Andersonville by Edward M. Erdelac is a journey back to a time when the world was simpler, more barbaric and yet full of mystery and magic. This is one I definitely put in the PG13 bordering on R range due to its disturbing imagery and some mature subject matters.
