Forum member Jayden King (King of Swing) has published his first novel. He kindly provided me with an autographed copy.
Let me put this out there: I'm an avid aviation and military historian, not a fan of fiction. The last time I read a fiction book was about thirty years ago! It was, I admit, a Steven King novel, but I also enjoyed science fiction in my youth.
So fast forward to 2018 and I'm handed a copy of Jayden Kings' first novel as a gift. It lies on my desk for a day, then I think I should at least read the first few pages. A few chapters later and I'm still reading. That must say something.
Jayden's writing style is deeply emotive, descriptive and compelling, yet he somehow manages to draw the reader in with an easy reading quality, transporting the reader to a place and time we thought we knew, but different. We learn of the soldier, the aviator (much to my delight) and the traveler. We learn about humankind and our never-ending thirst for learning and companionship.
It is the story of a South African infantryman waking up dazed and confused on the battlefield of Delville Wood in 1916, the world no longer as he knew it. We follow the soldier as he struggles to make sense of it all, to make his way back to his family in South Africa. Jayden has carved a story line that leaves the reader wanting to know more, wanting to understand what happened, what will happen, what twist at the end is awaiting the reader?
Somehow Jayden has managed to combine military history and science fiction into a readable book that is not overtly a historical or science fiction novel. The fact that Jayden is a military pilot certainly helps with the aviation aspect, but you do not have to be an aviation enthusiast to enjoy it.
A thought provoking book and I wish Jayden all the success with his future writing endeavours.
