Historical Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Quigsnip: The Untold Tale of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist by Sean Phillips

Quigsnip: The Untold tale of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist by Sean Phillips

It takes an impressive amount of confidence to write a sequel to a Charles Dickens novel, given his titanic status in the history of English literature. In Quigsnip, author Sean Phillips expands a seemingly insignificant detail from Charles Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist and delivers an entire novel in his legendary style.

Following Oliver Twist’s near-death experience and the subsequent discovery that he was a son of the aristocracy, his life has changed in innumerable ways. He is no longer begging for extra gruel, nor is he struggling to make ends meet in the criminal underbelly of London. Even so, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-05T12:28:07+02:00January 18th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Trials and Trails by Jim Halverson

Trials and Trails by Jim Halverson

Unexpected partnerships have formed the foundation of many memorable novels and stories throughout history, and in Trials and Trails by Jim Halverson, this long tradition is carried on with pride and heart.

Johnny B and Leroy both have plenty of reasons to be bitter or angry. As a Sioux Indian and an ex-slave in the Reconstruction period, neither of them can forget the injustices faced by themselves and their people, yet the only direction they can go is forward. Wandering from place to place, as so many great adventure novels do, these two men must face the prejudices that still […]

Review: True North by Roger Rooney

While Vietnam has been a part of popular culture for more than five decades, there has always been a shadow hanging over that conflict, and many of the books, movies, commentaries, and documentaries haven’t always focused on the personal element of this savage period in Vietnamese and global history. In True North, author Roger Rooney tackles the Vietnam War with a fearless blend of history, romance, philosophy and, most importantly, brutal truth.

The unique approach to this conflict comes in the form of its two main characters, star-crossed accidental lovers on opposite sides of the battlefield. Rooney chose unusual […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:17:50+02:00July 24th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|

Review: The Last April by Belinda Kroll

The Last April

Split-second decisions have life-changing consequences in The Last April, a gripping and thought-provoking work of YA historical fiction by Belinda Kroll.

It’s April, 1865 and in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, fifteen-year-old Gretchen Miller is in the garden of her family farm in rural Ohio when she’s startled by a Confederate soldier who falls in a dead faint literally steps from her feet. As Gretchen reaches his side, the feverish soldier mutters about his escape from Camp Chase, a training barrack/Confederate prison outside of Columbus. Realizing that the young soldier will die without her help, Gretchen reluctantly […]

Marta Cheng2019-01-22T10:54:07+02:00July 15th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Widow Walk (The Widow Walk Saga Book 1) by Gar LaSalle

Widow Walk by Gar LaSalle

Peeking into the past can provide valuable insight about the present, even if the two time periods and places seem like very different worlds. In Widow Walk by Gar LaSalle, readers are transported into the lives of bold settlers in the Pacific Northwest, determined survivors in the wilderness, who must face seemingly endless trials in their bid to make that land a home.

The brilliant component of this novel is that it doesn’t come across as distant historical fiction for the sake of escapism or novelty – it is packed with timeless life experiences, existential crises, and subjects of sovereignty […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-25T12:59:07+02:00June 5th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III

The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III

Partially based on real history, The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III tells an alternate history where Marcus Garvey’s Greater Liberia Act is put into widespread effect. In 1929, Civil Rights pioneer Marcus Garvey strikes a devil’s bargain with the Ku Klux Klan to turn the United States into an all-white nation. Congress enacts the Greater Liberia Act, arranging passage for every black American to Africa, while leaving unprotected any black citizen who choose to stay behind.

The novel tells the story of Ruth Gaines who remains in the U.S. with her true love Lance Wainwright, the eldest son of […]

Greg Rideout2019-01-22T10:54:59+02:00May 16th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare by Leah Moyes

Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare by Leah Moyes In Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare, author Leah Moyes has presented a truly human story of heartache and familial devotion during the Cold War in East Berlin.

The story begins on August 12, 1961, the day the barbs were laid in preparation for the Berlin Wall. 15-year-old Ella must make the decision that many of that time had to make: leave your family and be free, or stay and suffer the tyranny of Khrushchev. The lives on the other side of the wall may have seemed so much greener, but the relationships that were built, the love that was longed for, […]

SPR2018-05-10T12:09:12+02:00May 10th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Recall by R. Lawson

The Vietnam War remains one of the most controversial and tumultuous times in American history, leaving a shadowy legacy that affects politics, culture, entertainment and art to this day. Author R. Lawson takes readers back into those confusing times in his new novel, Recall, which falls into the historical fiction genre, but is also deeply influenced by his own experiences in the war.

As with many novels and films about this period in history, the human element is the most engaging and heartbreaking aspect of the story, as readers are shown the devastating effects that war can have on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:17:56+02:00May 4th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|