The Shadow of War
Danny Shaw / Manfred Brehme Book 1
by Jack Murray
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Pub Date 9 Jun 2022 | Archive Date 10 Jun 2022
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Description
Little Gloston, a postcard perfect village in Lincolnshire, England.
Danny Shaw has little time for school but lots of time for stealing apples from farmers' orchards and hanging out with his friends. It’s 1933 and life is simple for him, even if his parents seem worried when they listen to the radio. His father Stan, the strongest man in the village, had fought in the Great War, and he carries the scars and fear of battle with him daily.
Ladenburg, Germany, 1933.
Manfred Brehme is not living an easy life. His father is very strict and his mother always seems sad. Something is happening in Germany. One night the Reichstag burns down, and then a new group comes along that interests Manfred, the Hitler Youth. His father does not want him to join, but his father, the chief of police, is losing power daily.
War is brewing, and life will soon change forever for Danny and Manfred, who both become soldiers fighting against each other, and for very different reasons.
The Shadow of War is the first book in the Danny Shaw / Manfred Brehme Trilogy, which follows the lives of two boys that are destined to meet at the battle of El Alamein.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781839014420 |
| PRICE | US$2.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
PETER G, Reviewer
The Shadow of War by Jack Murray is the first of three books following two boys/soldiers from their homes and families North Africa and the battle of El Alamein.
In 1933, Danny Shaw was a schoolboy in a rural English village and Manfred Brehme was growing up in a city in Germany. Manfred enjoyed school, Danny didn’t. Danny’s father fought in the Great War, Manfred’s didn’t. Danny skips school to steal apples and enjoy the countryside with his two friends. Manfred is uneasy at school when his Jewish teacher is taken away, but the lure of the Hitler Youth is strong. Danny leaves school to help in his father’s blacksmith workshop while Manfred leaves school to sign into the German Army. When war is declared both Danny Manfred undergo basic training after which both are shipped off to North Africa – which is where this first book in the trilogy ends.
Each boy’s/soldier’s are told with clarity, humour, emotion, and a strong sense of ‘war is coming’ and that both will be involved. It’s interesting for the reader to read in such detail two soldier’s preparations for war.
The Shadow of War is well-written with careful attention to detail giving the book a strong feel of reality. The story is balanced between Manfred and Danny and their characters are well-developed through the whole book. We’re given a keen sense of their characters by following their child and teenage years, who they have strongest relationships with, their fears and weaknesses as well as their strengths. It’s reasonably clear that the later books will bring these two together in some way and I’m eager to know how that will look.
