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For Honor: An Adventure of What Might Have Been: Book One of By Honor Bound
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by:
ISBN:
0-7414-2057-0
©2004
Price:
$17.95
Book Size:
5.5'' x 8.5''
, 269 pages
Category/Subject:
FICTION / Action & Adventure
For Honor is a swashbuckling, action-packed, spies-against-spies adventure set in 17th-century France, with a spirited young heroine and musketeers bound by personal honor.
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Abstract:
It’s a dangerous race against time . . . and time is running out. Laurel’s father has always been in a perilous business. Being a spy in 17th-century France often causes him complications. This time his work has followed him home. It is not just her father whom his arch-nemesis—the ultimate traitor to France—is after . . . The fate of France hangs in the balance. Even the king’s best musketeers and France’s premier spy may not be able to save the kingdom, let alone live through the adventure
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Customer Reviews
an astonishing read
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10/17/2005
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Reviewer:
ForeWordReviews.com
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Mon Dieu! Can this young lady write! Under its quite forgettable cover lies an unforgettable adventure fiction so exuberant, so unexpected that it leaves even the most jaded reader breathless for more. Jaske’s For Honor: An Adventure of What Might Have Been, billed as Part One of the By Honor Bound series, is a fast-paced, swashbuckling book replete with humor, charm and valor extraordinaire.
Set in 17th century France, the series picks up where Alexander Dumas’s The Three Musketeers leaves off and presents breathtaking tales that “might have been,” had a few political scenarios and main characters been altered. There is the appealing, impetuous D’Artagnan, the youngest and greenest Musketeer; Athos, the brooding, undeclared leader of the quartet; Aramis, the reluctant duc de Rouen -- a ladies man who yearns for the priesthood; and the lusty, comic Porthos, a former pirate afraid of water. Here, too, is Milady de Winter, returning as the cool, dangerous beauty in league with the enemy, but in this tale, surprisingly contrite.
The four Musketeers are diverted from a mundane escort mission to Calais after they meet up with a spunky female spy in disguise. The action kicks in when the group travels throughout the French countryside assembling intelligence that will lead them to the apprehension of a traitor. Peopled with stealthy double agents, corrupt government officials, and assorted tavern wenches, the book offers perilous situations and non-stop action around every village corner.
Jaske does a masterful job of evoking appropriate atmosphere and is highly skilled at character development. Good and bad guys alike sport well-rounded personalities, their flaws and positive traits delivered with discernable balance and style. Even the treacherous, scheming Cardinal Richelieu, while plotting nothing less than the cold-blooded murder of his enemies, believes in his pious role as “God’s representative.”
“His Eminence arrived back from mass and set aside his heavy stole that marked the season in the Church. His duties were never done; always more sheep to lead back to the fold of the Good Lord and the Holy Church. But someone had to be responsible for the salvation of their souls. That was the price of being chosen . . .”
It’s apparent the author knows and understands her subject well, from the intricacies of French history to 17th century weaponry. Like the young D’Artagnan, Jaske is a fencing aficionado and Francophile who wields her pen with elegance and finesse.
This is a satisfying book for adventure lovers that will leave readers eager for more. Thank goodness there is more, in the form of part two in the series: Gambit For Love of a Queen, continuing the story of the valiant French quartet and Laurel, the spunky female spy introduced in this title. For Honor is an astonishing read from a young author who truly knows her stuff.
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You Won't Want to Put This One Down
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03/04/2008
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Reviewer:
Lois W. Stern
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As you begin to read For Honor, you will quickly become transfixed by a story that invites completion. As the plot unfolds, don’t be surprised if you are caught up in its many unexpected twists and turns, shifting scenes, and bone chilling adventures, and even find yourself perched at the edge of your seat, unblinking, until you turn that very last page.
Kat Jaske skillfully develops each of her characters through their unique responses to the events that surround them. From the brooding Aramis, conflicted over his desire to enter the priesthood, to the boisterous, long winded Pothos, from love stricken D’Artagnan, to headstrong, clever Laurel, not one of these characters presents as an idealized, story book personality. Each has easily recognizable flaws. But those united by their common quest for honor and service to the king are forced into sometimes heart wrenching decisions that create a memorable read.
The plot line is cleverly developed; the characters are believable and have very distinct and enjoyable personalities, and her use of language is so fitting for the period, but not forced.
Watch this author. She is a true talent, capable of transporting her readers back in time and place. In so doing, Kat Jaske helps us reflect on our modern world of sound bites and instant gratification. Perhaps For Honor will inspire some of its readers to reach for that higher moral ground.
Lois W. Stern
Author of SEX, LIES AND COSMETIC SURGERY
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