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Beyond The Call
211 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 27, 2024
As many far more eminent reviewers than myself will concur, historical fiction is, with a few notable exceptions, not generally done very well. This book
sadly is not one of those exceptions, and it would be nice if I could say that this is because the author has meticulously researched his subject and has
been so eager to impart his vast volume of acquired knowledge that it has overwhelmed the plot. But this would be complete nonsense.
In fact this is almost certainly the most awful book I have ever read - there is honestly more interest to be piqued by reading the back of an airline sick
bag. It has no redeeming features whatsoever - parts of it read like the very worst example of a 1970s sitcom written by a sleep-deprived, dyslexic half-wit.
Most of it is not even that good.
The little "action" there is in the book is described so matter-of-factly it could easily rival a textbook on loft insulation in its capacity to induce instantaneous slumber. What doesn't pass for action passes much like a reluctant stool through a particularly un-cooperative bowel.
The characters are stereotypical, some incur inadvertent name changes as the story progresses, yet they remain consistently shallow throughout. Odd italicized words and phrases crop up randomly, and at one point it feels as if the author has abandoned what little imagination he possesses and launches us headfirst into a dry, almost guide-book style narrative describing some run down town, putrefying on the south coast of England.
We all know that self-publication, by definition, carries its own stigma, however in this instance the already low-set literary bar fails to be cleared by a spectacular margin. There is just not one solitary original idea in the entire volume and it is so badly written that I seriously question whether the author
has ever read a proper novel before to see how it should be done.
He strikes me as someone much like these dreamers on X Factor who, under the misguided conception that they possess even the merest glimpse of talent, and no doubt encouraged by equally deluded close family and friends, proceed to inflict their painful pretences of entertainment upon the general public.
I would advise the Association of Freelance Writers [whoever they are?], and of whom Mr De Meza claims to belong, to urgently review their membership criteria if this is the typical standard one may expect from one of their associates.
"Romance + Danger + Intrigue" proclaims the subtitle on the front cover [or Intregue if the author's website is to be believed!], superimposed curiously
above a picture of a non-descript church which appears to have no relevance whatsoever to the "plot".
The "romance" part I assume relates to the author's romantic notion that the book is actually any good. As for "danger" and "intrigue", upon wading through the text I wondered if there was any danger of the tale ever getting interesting, and the intriguing part was in leafing through and trying to find a single page which did not contain at least one spelling mistake, grammatical error or mangled and clumsy phrasing.
The book is riddled with errors of this nature, so much so that it gives the impression that perhaps this was a first draft which somehow got inadvertently bound and printed without being edited or proof-read. Seriously if you are vain enough to spend a few thousand dollars just to see your name in print, go the extra mile and get a professional to look at it first.
The author's website states that record copies of his esteemed tome are deposited at the following:
The British Library, The National Library of Scotland, The National Library of Wales, Bodleian Library Oxford, Cambridge University Library and the Library
of Trinity College Dublin. I just hope they have enough wonky-legged tables to justify the book's presence within these hallowed seats of learning.
Beyond the Call may be the given title but Beyond the Pale would be a far more accurate description.
sadly is not one of those exceptions, and it would be nice if I could say that this is because the author has meticulously researched his subject and has
been so eager to impart his vast volume of acquired knowledge that it has overwhelmed the plot. But this would be complete nonsense.
In fact this is almost certainly the most awful book I have ever read - there is honestly more interest to be piqued by reading the back of an airline sick
bag. It has no redeeming features whatsoever - parts of it read like the very worst example of a 1970s sitcom written by a sleep-deprived, dyslexic half-wit.
Most of it is not even that good.
The little "action" there is in the book is described so matter-of-factly it could easily rival a textbook on loft insulation in its capacity to induce instantaneous slumber. What doesn't pass for action passes much like a reluctant stool through a particularly un-cooperative bowel.
The characters are stereotypical, some incur inadvertent name changes as the story progresses, yet they remain consistently shallow throughout. Odd italicized words and phrases crop up randomly, and at one point it feels as if the author has abandoned what little imagination he possesses and launches us headfirst into a dry, almost guide-book style narrative describing some run down town, putrefying on the south coast of England.
We all know that self-publication, by definition, carries its own stigma, however in this instance the already low-set literary bar fails to be cleared by a spectacular margin. There is just not one solitary original idea in the entire volume and it is so badly written that I seriously question whether the author
has ever read a proper novel before to see how it should be done.
He strikes me as someone much like these dreamers on X Factor who, under the misguided conception that they possess even the merest glimpse of talent, and no doubt encouraged by equally deluded close family and friends, proceed to inflict their painful pretences of entertainment upon the general public.
I would advise the Association of Freelance Writers [whoever they are?], and of whom Mr De Meza claims to belong, to urgently review their membership criteria if this is the typical standard one may expect from one of their associates.
"Romance + Danger + Intrigue" proclaims the subtitle on the front cover [or Intregue if the author's website is to be believed!], superimposed curiously
above a picture of a non-descript church which appears to have no relevance whatsoever to the "plot".
The "romance" part I assume relates to the author's romantic notion that the book is actually any good. As for "danger" and "intrigue", upon wading through the text I wondered if there was any danger of the tale ever getting interesting, and the intriguing part was in leafing through and trying to find a single page which did not contain at least one spelling mistake, grammatical error or mangled and clumsy phrasing.
The book is riddled with errors of this nature, so much so that it gives the impression that perhaps this was a first draft which somehow got inadvertently bound and printed without being edited or proof-read. Seriously if you are vain enough to spend a few thousand dollars just to see your name in print, go the extra mile and get a professional to look at it first.
The author's website states that record copies of his esteemed tome are deposited at the following:
The British Library, The National Library of Scotland, The National Library of Wales, Bodleian Library Oxford, Cambridge University Library and the Library
of Trinity College Dublin. I just hope they have enough wonky-legged tables to justify the book's presence within these hallowed seats of learning.
Beyond the Call may be the given title but Beyond the Pale would be a far more accurate description.
Displaying 1 of 1 review