Adult / Adult for YA / Historical Fiction
I gave this book 4 out of 5 Stars
Until Shiloh Comes, by Karl A. Bacon, takes place during the Civil War, at the Battle of Shiloh, where two young soldiers lie wounded and
dying. Aaron, a Confederate, is mere miles from home, but for the Yankee
Stanley, home is a world away. When Aaron's widowed mother, Davina Matthews,
comes to the battlefield searching for her son, she first finds Stanley, who
makes a bargain that Davina must promise to save Stanley in exchange for him
telling her where to find Aaron. She agrees and finds her son, but Aaron
doesn't live through the trip, his final words to his mother asking her to love
Stanley like a son.
As
the family is mourning Aaron, they are angry that a soldier whose army caused
Aaron's death is convalescing in their home.
It
is only through their Christian principles and faith in God that they tolerate
Stanley's presence. Through the combined effort of not just Davina's family,
but also her family of slaves, the Jacksons, Stanley regains his strength and
heals both physically and spiritually as he's taught the scriptures of the
Bible. As Stanley gets stronger and works to repay his debt to the Matthews and
Jacksons, who have grown fond of him, he finds he's not clear of danger. The
townspeople want him gone, and slave trader Jean-Baptiste LaVache wants to take
him for profit; but the greatest danger of all is from within the family, in
bitter, angry, violent Luke Matthews. Until Shiloh Comes
explores questions of loyalty, love, and faith and what it means to be a
Christian, especially when it isn't easy to believe God hasn't stopped caring.
Author
Karl Bacon has given readers a beautifully written, beautifully edited novel
that richly describes the land and the mindset of the southerners during the
Civil War. He paints a realistic picture of life on a farm in the 1860s and the
enormous amount of labor it takes for it to be fruitful, which will really
appeal to fans of historical fiction. Bacon is also strong in his
characterization and fleshes-out Stanley Mitchell, who readers see change and
mature into an honorable young man. Through the arrival of Stanley in their
lives, the Matthews family has to stretch their Christian comfort zone and
practice what the Bible preaches, regardless of how painful it is to do. For
the Jackson family, Stanley shows them that friendship and respect are color
blind.
The
bonds and relationships which build between the various characters unfold very
slowly, which lends the story authenticity but also creates some lulls in the
story line. Too much is revealed in the cover blurb and story overviews that
are posted online, so for maximum enjoyment, readers should dive right into the
story and enjoy a few surprises. There
is constant tension as Luke becomes more and more intolerant and hateful, and
LaVache is always lurking in the background, but the real action comes at the
very end of the book, which unwinds very quickly leaving readers hanging with
the set-up for the next book in the trilogy.
Given the ending of “Until Shiloh Comes,” there’s little doubt that the in the next
book in the series, author Karl Bacon will provide considerably more action –
can’t wait!
This book was reviewed for Reader Views and was first posted on BlogCritics
and is re-posted here by their permission. A print copy was provided to
me in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Karl Bacon grew up in
the small picturesque town of Woodbury, Connecticut. After graduating from
Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he returned to Connecticut and
found employment in manufacturing. "Just a job" turned into a
professional career, much of which was spent working for a Swiss machine tool
company. In 2000 he started his own business to provide services to
manufacturing clients across the USA. This change also allowed him time to
develop his writing craft. From youth Karl has been a serious student of the
Civil War. Countless hours of detailed research supply the foundation for each
novel, including copious reading, internet research and personal visits to
battlefields and historic sites. The research provides depth and realism to the
stories so that the novels might be as historically accurate and believable as
possible. Karl’s first novel, An Eye for Glory was a Publishers Weekly Top Pick
for Spring/Summer 2011 and a Christy Award Finalist for First Novel in 2012.
Karl lives in Naugatuck, Connecticut with his wife Jackie.
Learn more about the author and his books:
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