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Partisan
The Grand Duchy of Miraval is a small, picturesque country of great snow-capped mountains, rich alluvial valleys and plains, and grandiose sections of woods and waterlands strategically located between the world's two great powers. The past two decades have seen Miraval forced to go to war twice with the Dominion, their belligerent, saber-rattling neighbor to the north. Miraval ceded territory to the Dominion in each of those wars to earn an uneasy peace, but most Miravallians knew that the Dommies were just biding their time. The Dominion would come for the entire country sooner or later and every citizen would be called upon to fight.
Raslan Dagenham, better known as Dag, was a simple hunter and an incredible shot who cared nothing for what went on in the world beyond his town of Harren Falls in the rocky, forested hills of the Crest. Since his father died fighting the Dominion in the Great Strife, his only interest had been seeing to the survival of his siblings and mother. The return of his brother Aleksian from university, bearing news that the rumors of an impending Dominion invasion are likely true, coincides with news that several northern cities have fallen to a Dominion advance of tanks and airships.
Under cover of darkness, an advanced Dominion force launches a surprise assault on the Dagenham's home town, bringing a distant war into the brothers' back yard. Spurred on by Aleksian's patriotism and his own desire to protect his home, Dag picks up his rifle in defense of Miraval and goes to war. Allied with his brother Aleksian, a few National Guardsmen, a couple of constables, and a ragtag group of volunteers, Dag will make a stand to save his hometown and possibly his country.
Raslan Dagenham, better known as Dag, was a simple hunter and an incredible shot who cared nothing for what went on in the world beyond his town of Harren Falls in the rocky, forested hills of the Crest. Since his father died fighting the Dominion in the Great Strife, his only interest had been seeing to the survival of his siblings and mother. The return of his brother Aleksian from university, bearing news that the rumors of an impending Dominion invasion are likely true, coincides with news that several northern cities have fallen to a Dominion advance of tanks and airships.
Under cover of darkness, an advanced Dominion force launches a surprise assault on the Dagenham's home town, bringing a distant war into the brothers' back yard. Spurred on by Aleksian's patriotism and his own desire to protect his home, Dag picks up his rifle in defense of Miraval and goes to war. Allied with his brother Aleksian, a few National Guardsmen, a couple of constables, and a ragtag group of volunteers, Dag will make a stand to save his hometown and possibly his country.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2014
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July 24, 2017
Justin Bohart’s Partisan (the invasion of Miraval Book 1)
By Roy Hunt
By his own admission, Justin Bohardt finds alternative realities ‘infinitely preferable than living in the existing one’, consequently he sets out to craft ‘new worlds in every second of free time that he can find’.
This statement is justified in his novel “Partisan the invasion of Miraval (Book 1)”.
The Miravallians are a peaceful people. But they have a belligerent and war hungry neighbour, the Dominion, who refer to their peaceful neighbours at one point as ‘hill rats’ and their women as ‘toothless, sagging and blubbery’. The first clue that something is wrong is in the conversations between the two brothers, Raslan (Dag) and Aleksian (Alex) Dagenham. Dag is a quiet 22-year old who loves hunting in the woods surrounding his village, Harren Falls. Alex has been sent home from university. There are rumblings that Dominion forces might be planning an invasion. This becomes a crushing reality when the village is attacked.
They are cut off from all outside news and have no idea what is taking place countrywide. They have no choice only focus on their own area. Can they make any attempt to defend it?
The Dominion forces are trained killers, they have balloon powered airships, with ‘massive wooden-bodied hulls’ and tanks. The Miravallians are just traders, farmers and town people. But they are not completely without resources. There is the drunk Tangrit, the one-armed one-eyed veteran from the previous war with the Dominion, known as The Great Strife. There is Aria, daughter to the local constabulary chief, Captain Beaurigar, a good shot and determined to prove herself, and the young Kayleigh Ambrose, deadly accurate with a crossbow. And Dag’s time in the woods has not been wasted, he is an excellent stalker and sniper.
The first clue of Dag’s capabilities comes when, with Dag’s sniper talent, they capture eight Dommie (as the locals call them) soldiers. While Tangrit takes the old village military bus to round up more fighters, Dag shocks his brother by threatening to ‘gut’ the Dommie sergeant for information. The sergeant, sure of his superiority, even when captured, refers to the Miravallians as ‘piss-pots.’ But he has badly underestimated Dag. He shoots the Dommie sergeant in the stomach, an agonizing wound. It terrifies one of them, Yakob, and he talks. It soon becomes apparent that this is not a main attack force, but instead a scouting expedition that has got cocky.
Under the command of the local constabulary, led by Captain Beaurigar, with Alex as his second in command, the Harren Falls inhabitants begin to come together.
They gather further intelligence that tells them the bridge over the River Cleave, where Miravel borders the Dominion, will be one major crossing point. Can they stop the Dominion forces from crossing this bridge? How can they, armed with a few sniper rifles, a stolen bazooka and some explosives plus Kayleigh’s skill with a crossbow, stop a force of hundreds with 40 massive tanks?
Partisan is a well knit, tightly packed warfare story. If I was to make a suggestion as to how it might be spiced up a little, I would love to see maybe one or a few of the characters having powers of their own. Maybe Kayleigh has the gift of camouflage, so that in the wood you could be standing beside her and not see her, like a spirit drifting through trees? Perhaps Dag might have heightened sense of smell and hearing, which is why he is such a good stalker and hunter?
This is a beguiling world Bohart has created, well worth exploring if you are into a David versus Goliath type war story.
By Roy Hunt
By his own admission, Justin Bohardt finds alternative realities ‘infinitely preferable than living in the existing one’, consequently he sets out to craft ‘new worlds in every second of free time that he can find’.
This statement is justified in his novel “Partisan the invasion of Miraval (Book 1)”.
The Miravallians are a peaceful people. But they have a belligerent and war hungry neighbour, the Dominion, who refer to their peaceful neighbours at one point as ‘hill rats’ and their women as ‘toothless, sagging and blubbery’. The first clue that something is wrong is in the conversations between the two brothers, Raslan (Dag) and Aleksian (Alex) Dagenham. Dag is a quiet 22-year old who loves hunting in the woods surrounding his village, Harren Falls. Alex has been sent home from university. There are rumblings that Dominion forces might be planning an invasion. This becomes a crushing reality when the village is attacked.
They are cut off from all outside news and have no idea what is taking place countrywide. They have no choice only focus on their own area. Can they make any attempt to defend it?
The Dominion forces are trained killers, they have balloon powered airships, with ‘massive wooden-bodied hulls’ and tanks. The Miravallians are just traders, farmers and town people. But they are not completely without resources. There is the drunk Tangrit, the one-armed one-eyed veteran from the previous war with the Dominion, known as The Great Strife. There is Aria, daughter to the local constabulary chief, Captain Beaurigar, a good shot and determined to prove herself, and the young Kayleigh Ambrose, deadly accurate with a crossbow. And Dag’s time in the woods has not been wasted, he is an excellent stalker and sniper.
The first clue of Dag’s capabilities comes when, with Dag’s sniper talent, they capture eight Dommie (as the locals call them) soldiers. While Tangrit takes the old village military bus to round up more fighters, Dag shocks his brother by threatening to ‘gut’ the Dommie sergeant for information. The sergeant, sure of his superiority, even when captured, refers to the Miravallians as ‘piss-pots.’ But he has badly underestimated Dag. He shoots the Dommie sergeant in the stomach, an agonizing wound. It terrifies one of them, Yakob, and he talks. It soon becomes apparent that this is not a main attack force, but instead a scouting expedition that has got cocky.
Under the command of the local constabulary, led by Captain Beaurigar, with Alex as his second in command, the Harren Falls inhabitants begin to come together.
They gather further intelligence that tells them the bridge over the River Cleave, where Miravel borders the Dominion, will be one major crossing point. Can they stop the Dominion forces from crossing this bridge? How can they, armed with a few sniper rifles, a stolen bazooka and some explosives plus Kayleigh’s skill with a crossbow, stop a force of hundreds with 40 massive tanks?
Partisan is a well knit, tightly packed warfare story. If I was to make a suggestion as to how it might be spiced up a little, I would love to see maybe one or a few of the characters having powers of their own. Maybe Kayleigh has the gift of camouflage, so that in the wood you could be standing beside her and not see her, like a spirit drifting through trees? Perhaps Dag might have heightened sense of smell and hearing, which is why he is such a good stalker and hunter?
This is a beguiling world Bohart has created, well worth exploring if you are into a David versus Goliath type war story.
August 10, 2017
This was an exciting read, but I had questions. The battles are all nail biting and realistic as a small town attempts to hold off the invasion of a larger army. We've got 2 brothers and a ragtag group of town members trying to hold down the town. The characters are all well developed and the horrors of war are shown from all sorts of different standpoints.
I had questions though and felt like the book could have been a little longer. I know the Dominion are the bad guys. I know the heroes father fought a war with them before the book started. I guess I wanted to see a little more history. Why are the Dominion invading these villages? Do they want land? Do they disagree with the government? What started the first war, then caused them to attack again? I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked some history as to why everyone was fighting
I had questions though and felt like the book could have been a little longer. I know the Dominion are the bad guys. I know the heroes father fought a war with them before the book started. I guess I wanted to see a little more history. Why are the Dominion invading these villages? Do they want land? Do they disagree with the government? What started the first war, then caused them to attack again? I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked some history as to why everyone was fighting
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews