Today I'm welcoming Tom Durwood and his book - The Pact (The Illustrated Colonials, Book One) - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)
The Pact
Six international teens join the American Revolution.
Coming of age and making history.
They went into 1776 looking for a fight. Little did they know how much it would cost them…
Six rich kids from around the globe join the Bostonian cause, finding love and treachery along the path to liberty.
A new perspective on one of history’s most fascinating moments.
Amply illustrated edition of a young-adult historical fiction novel.
Book Title: The Pact
Series: (The Illustrated Colonials, Book One)
Author: Tom Durwood
Publication Date: 8th April 2021
Publisher: Empire Studies Press
Page Length: 218 Pages
Genres: Young Adult / Historical Fiction / Adventure
You can purchase a copy of the book via -
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3Gv62Q
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Now for the review -
Historical fiction is my favourite genre because of how much work that the author has to put into it to get everything historically accurate as well as write a book that is impossible to put down. The Pact is more historical fantasy than historical fiction because as the author states in his notes at the end of the book "I have willfully ignored accurate dates and names and sequences. I have invented characters and events in order to serve my low-brow adventure." I do wish I had read the authors declaration at the beginning of the book rather than the end!
Nevertheless, this book is loosely about the global effect the war had on the world - many countries were watching and so it stands to reason to have six brave protagonists, from around the world, come together to fight for freedom, and more importantly, for each other. I really enjoyed reading about each of the protagonists, although my favourite was probably Sheyndil because she is just so likeable and does not have the arrogance of some of the others.
This novel would make a great bedtime story read, but I do wish the author would stop highlighting sentences after they had already been written, I found this very distracting. But on the whole, it is a nicely packaged novel with some great illustrations.
Tom Durwood
Tom Durwood is a teacher, writer and editor with an interest in history. Tom most recently taught English Composition and Empire and Literature at Valley Forge Military College, where he won the Teacher of the Year Award five times. Tom has taught Public Speaking and Basic Communications as guest lecturer for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group at the Dam’s Neck Annex of the Naval War College.
Tom’s ebook Empire and Literature matches global works of film and fiction to specific quadrants of empire, finding surprising parallels. Literature, film, art and architecture are viewed against the rise and fall of empire. In a foreword to Empire and Literature, postcolonial scholar Dipesh Chakrabarty of the University of Chicago calls it “imaginative and innovative.” Prof. Chakrabarty writes that “Durwood has given us a thought-provoking introduction to the humanities.” His subsequent book “Kid Lit: An Introduction to Literary Criticism” has been well-reviewed. “My favorite nonfiction book of the year,” writes The Literary Apothecary (Goodreads).
Early reader response to Tom’s historical fiction adventures has been promising. “A true pleasure … the richness of the layers of Tom’s novel is compelling,” writes Fatima Sharrafedine in her foreword to “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter.” The Midwest Book Review calls that same adventure “uniformly gripping and educational … pairing action and adventure with social issues.” Adds Prairie Review, “A deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series.”
Tom briefly ran his own children’s book imprint, Calico Books (Contemporary Books, Chicago). Tom’s newspaper column “Shelter” appeared in the North County Times for seven years. Tom earned a Masters in English Literature in San Diego, where he also served as Executive Director of San Diego Habitat for Humanity.
You can connect with Tom Durwood via these platforms -
Websites: https://boatmansdaughter.com
Website: http://www.mycolonials.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDurwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.durwood.52/about
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-durwood-542bb422/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usefulsherpa/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/theusefulsherpa/_created/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Tom-Durwood/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ATom+Durwood
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5462355.Tom_Durwood
You can also learn more about the author and the book by visiting the other blogs on this tour.
Till the next time.
Take care Zoe
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