Edward Cline

I have no idea where I got this book, but I found it on one of my shelves, and finally decided to read it. The book I have is an ARC, which I picked up somewhere. Ta da!!! It just hit me where it came from! Back in 2000, I was a library technician student. I went to an ALA conference. Publishers were giving their books away for free. The book has a publication date of November 1 2001 on the front cover.
With that being said, this book is by far my biggest surprise read of 2023. I've read a lot of books about the American Revolution, but have never read one that lays out the cause of the Revolution. Basically, this book lays the argument that because of the oppression and taxation of the people by the Crown of England, their discontent grew and grew. Once over in the colonies, they knew what kind of government they didn't want. A KING! And they were willing to fight for it. It was a very enlightening book for me. I'm not sure if I'll read the following five books in the series, but I'm glad to find out they have been published.… (mais)

A very grim "coming of age" story set in the quite grim, especially for the non-rich, 18th century. Jack finally escapes his awful, vicious stepfather and his whoring mother after witnessing a robbery and murder. His prospects are ugly until he becomes part of a smuggling operation run by an altruistic leader committed to changing the local community. Lots of learning opportunities formal and otherwise shape his skills and his outlook on life. The capture and execution of the leader send Jack into bondage, then exile to America.… (mais)

Edward Cline has written several books and series and is known for his libertarian and Randian proclivities. The Sparrowhawk (a revolutionary war setting) and Merritt Fury series in particular are lauded by Randians for their Objectivist flavor.

That being said,I normally enjoy financial books and mysteries in a financial setting. If you don’t like to read about financial shenanigans and the entrepreneurial spirit in a somewhat hagiographic manner, you’ll probably not like this.

The book seems to want to be a Bond imitation with an entrepreneurial flare. I enjoyed the financial dealings and intricacies in the beginning much more than the ridiculous 007 antics (and I am soooo tired of beautiful women fawning over brawn) . I think the author could have also done much more to create a sense of place. Hong Kong before the turn over to China must have been fascinating, but there is little sense of what it was like.

I found myself really skimming the last third. I have no idea why fans would describe Cline's work as celebrating, " the boldly American spirit embodied in all the author's works: freedom-worshiping, ambitious, confident, literate, benevolent, and individualistic." It's possible to be freedom-worshiping without trampling all over others and arrogance is often confused with confidence. I'll try a couple of others but there won't be any stampede to read them.… (mais)