Wednesday 11 July 2012

"A wonderful, evocative book"



Just spotted on the Amazon web site.......

Wonderful, evocative book, 5 July 2012
By G Beech

This review is from: On Angel Mountain (The Angel Mountain Saga) (Kindle Edition)
I really loved this book. The writing is so evocative you could almost be in 18th century Wales. The characters were strong, the sense of place was very strong and I felt like I was really reading the diary of a living person. I felt that all the characters came alive off the page and that was down to the excellent writing. I could almost visualise the people and places which is, to me, evidence that a book has done its job - to entertain and enthrall the reader. Well worth reading this book.

Rating: 5 stars

Monday 2 July 2012

"..... a grand achievement by a born raconteur..."

Acknowledgement:  Gwales / Welsh Books Council

There is certainly no loss of verve, adventure or indeed style in Brian John’s latest book in this long-running saga.

In Conspiracy of Angels the reader is taken back to 1810 and a youthful 31-year-old Martha Morgan is back as mistress of Plas Ingli after a period of absence of which she will give no true account. Being a woman of this period is a serious disadvantage, especially a woman without a husband beside her, with children to bring up and without great wealth. As always there is much hurtful gossip, but Martha’s ever-loyal staff, her family and friends, particularly grandpa Isaac and granny Jane, and her mentor the wizard Joseph Harris, are there to support her. However, will they be enough? Following a premonition on a damp Angel Mountain, Martha becomes involved in a secretive anti-slavery movement; child torture, blackmail and the Sons of Obeah all add to the nail-biting intensity of the plot.

If the reader were to assume that that is all John’s story tells, they would be very much mistaken. The author is a master of connecting interwoven threads. His secondary characters, no less colourful than the protagonists, jump from the page with the intrigue of their daily lives and adventures all adding to this riveting saga.

As usual John has excelled himself with his art of story-telling, his humour and his literary prowess.
Conspiracy of Angels is the eighth in the Angel Mountain saga, of which more than 65,000 copies have been sold to date. A grand achievement by a born raconteur.

Norma Penfold

"Another enthralling epic"



Just came across this review of "Conspiracy of Angels" on the Amazon web site.

Conspiracy of Angels - another enthralling epic

16 May 2012
By
Amelia Davies

So pleased to reacquaint myself with Martha Morgan again - this is another totally gripping tale from Brian John. He writes with such credibilty that it's hard to believe that Plas Ingli and its occupants are all fictional. The historical 'element' is equally fascinating, and I have been completely convinced each time I read the novels in this amazing saga.

It is such a shame that the BBC haven't got their act together and realised what an enthralling series this would make....or someone with some vision in S4C who could translate it into Welsh...we have the actors, the scenery is already there...if Hollywood can see the benefit of Pembrokeshire, why can't those nearer home ???! I think Nia Roberts would make a superb, feisty, enigmatic Martha.

Diolch yn fawr Brian John ( ps I (almost) think that the best part of each book is the beginning - it is SO clever at drawing one in from the very first moment).