Reader's Review - Majok Tulba (Beneath The Darkening Sky)

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On 18 September 2013, the 18 -year-old Somalian man, Ahmed Omar Mohamed, was sentence six years in prison for raping a 10-year-old girl in Herning, Denmark. Despite the grave circumstances of the case, the court did not consider it appropriate to expel the offender of the country after serving the six years in prison.

There was demonstrations in front of the courthouse and all the news media wrote articles and reported from the trial. I do not think there was a single Dane who didn't had an opinion on that kind of callous and brutal assault, that was committed by this young man. But in the midst of our excitement over the crime, there was certainly some people who did not pay attention to the fact, that Ahmed Omar Mohamed, had been a child soldier in an al-Qaeda group in Somalia.

Maybe our view of this young man would have been a little more nuanced, if we knew about his horrific background. And maybe a fewer Danes had yelled so loud if they only knew what he had suffered as a child soldier.

My views on this case has certainly changed significantly after I've read 'Beneath The Darkening Sky' by Majok Tulba.

It is a most unpleasant book that brings the reader into a world of murder, rape and cruelty to an extent you hardly comprise. Majok Tulba describes Obinna, an 11-year-old Sudanese boy, who is forced to witness his village is destroyed by the rebel army. He attends how his own father is brutally slaughtered. And after worth, he and his older brother are forced to follow the rebels back to their camp to serve 'the just cause'.

The cruelty that Obinna experiences on his own body and at the same time sees around him, forces him to mature in a very short time. The transformation from an innocent and naive boy to a bloodthirsty and cruel child soldier occurs in no time. Not because he wants to change. He just want to survive. And in the rebel army you only survive as long as the general believes in your potential as a loyal soldier. So Obinna does what he is ordered to do, and displaces its own dreams and personality traits.

'Beneath The Darkening Sky' is a book that really gets under your skin. It's unbelievable that people are able to show such a callous and diabolical evil against another fellow human being. But this is actually happening around us! It happens right now - while you're reading these words! That's why this book is highly significant.

There is no excuse for what Ahmed Omar Mohamed did to that 10-year-old girl. But after reading 'Beneath The Darkening Sky', his deeds are at least explainable. No one can live as a child soldier and remain a full, harmonious and rational thinking human being. That is the horrible and heartbreaking truth!

Reader's Review - James Patterson (Along Came A Spider)

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People with various forms of mental deviations have always intrigued me. To be quite honest, it's probably their unpredictable and uncontrollable behavior that catches my interest. Such a man exists in James Patterson's novel 'Along Came A Spider'.

Gary Murphy is a loving father who celebrates his kids birthday and takes care of his job as a teacher. But he is more than that. He is one of America's biggest mass murderers with over twohundred lives on his conscience. He's just not aware of it. Or ... is he?

James Patterson gives us a detailed insight into this persons mental disorder and psychopathic behavior. But he does more than that. He pulls you into his web of hidden agendas and intrigues in a way, that you'll eventually find it difficult to find what's really going on in the story.

How good is the literary quality in the novel? The plot is extremely complex but, despite the many details, the book is by no means too long or tedious. Actually, there are passages in the book where I wished for a greater amount of details. Gary Murphy is such a complex personality, and his thoughts and acts are so interesting, that I would have liked to have a deeper insight into his life and whereabouts.

James Patterson is no doubt a talented writer and his choice of theme catches me. Still, I can not surrender unconditionally to his universe. In some ways I feel the lack of consistency and depth. The focal point of the story, the kidnapping of two young children, is swift and although it is a crime that haunts the rest of the book, it seems as if the story changes direction and there were times where I was a little unsure of where the story was heading. In my view, the plot lacks edge and personalization. Sorry, but that's how I feel after reading 'Along Came A Spider'.

Boganmeldelse - A.J. Kazinski (Den Sidste Gode Mand)

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Dear reader. I have chosen to write this review in Danish since this book has not yet been translated to English.

Da jeg havde læst 'En Hellig Alliance' stod det klart for mig, at jeg her havde fundet et forfatterpar, som virkelig var i stand til at levere en historie af usædvanlig høj kvalitet. Spørgsmålet var blot, om det var en enlig svale, eller om deres tidligere bøger var lige så velskrevne og spændende som deres seneste udgivelse.

Et fælles træk for 'En Hellig Alliance' og 'Den Sidste Gode Mand' er, at Kazinski bygger deres romaner på fakta, begivenheder eller overleveringer, som findes i verden omkring os. Det er rundt om disse oplysninger, at Kazinski derpå spinder deres fiktive net. Jeg er vild med den type romaner! Hele vejen igennem bogen må man spørge sig selv: Hvor stopper virkeligheden og hvor begynder fiktionen?

Mens 'En Hellig Alliance' var en halvpolitisk roman, er 'Den Sidste Gode Mand' en krimi der kredser om overnaturlige og uforklarlige fænomener. Jødiske overleveringer beretter, at der til alle tider vil være seksogtredive gode mennesker til at våge over menneskeheden. Dør alle seksogtredive, vil verden gå under. Nu er nogen begyndt at myrde disse gode mennesker. Rundt om på jorden indrapporteres der om mennesker, som er døde uden påviselig grund og som alle har et sært mærke på deres ryg på dødstidspunktet. Niels Bentzon er politimand i Danmark og bliver ved et tilfælde involveret i jagten på den ukendte morder, inden denne får held til at myrde de sidste to gode mennesker på jorden.

Historien lyder måske søgt, men jeg kan garantere at den holder hele vejen. Efterhånden som situationen spidser til, sidder man længere og længer ude på kanten af stolen. Dette er en bog som burde filmatiseres.

En ting jeg må nævne, er afslutningen. Ofte har end-of-the-world historier meget vanskeligt ved at aflevere en troværdig afslutning. Jorden kan jo ikke være gået under – vi er her jo endnu!?! Men Kazinski formår at afslutte 'Den Sidste Gode Mand' på en måde, der både er elegant og troværdig.

Historien er helstøbt, underholdende og intens i en sådan grad, at jeg har nemt ved at tilgive de fejl som korrekturlæsningen inden udgivelsen ellers burde have fundet og rettet. Alt hvad jeg har læst af A.J. Kazinski har været over den gennemsnitlige skandinaviske standard, og jeg ser med spændt forventning frem til at lade mig underholde af denne enestående forfatterduo i fremtiden.