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Arslan - M.J. Engh Book Review

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Review Summary


Orb, Jul 2001, 13.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0312879105

    When the name General is first mentioned on American TV, no one has heard of him and very few people can locate his nation Turkiston. His country happens to be a small central Asian country boarded by China and Russia. Not long after making the news for the first time, Arslan decides to begin his plan to save the planet from the spiral of corruption and destruction that its leaders seem to desire. He quickly becomes the Deputy Command in Chief of the US armed forces and behind that, conqueror of North America without a drop of blood spilled.

    Arslan comes to strategically unnecessary Kraftville, Illinois to bivouac. In the small town, General Arslan meets Principal Franklin Bond who takes the new world leader on a tour of the school. Here in this tiny little spot where Arslan meets someone treating him like an equal not a conqueror, the young General sets up house.

    Is the premise of a General from a country smaller than Brooklyn conquering the United States seems a stretch on first thought? Absolutely that is until you read M.J. Engh's fabulous science fiction novel. The two key characters, ARSLAN and Franklin seem real as they form a special bond between them. In the vein of The Mouse That Roared, this political science fiction tale lives up to what readers have screamed since its initial release five years ago: classic.

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Arslan
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - search for identity/new understanding - change of heart
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - near future (later in 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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