M.F.W Curran
MacMillan
Otago Daily Times, May 2nd 2009
The Secret War is a historical fantasy in which the main characters are caught up in a metaphysical battle between Heaven and Hell, and an earthly clash between the Vatican and Count Ordrane of Draak.
The first night after the Battle of Waterloo, William Saxon and Kieran Harte should be celebrating their victory. Instead, they find themselves battling a fiery daemon that massacres the French village in which they are staying, killing Kieran’s fiancée and burning the settlement to the ground. The only clue to the monster’s origins is a mysterious brass pyramid (the Scarimadean) that William finds in a filthy hovel where the flames seem to have originated.
Slowly and inexorably, the two young soldiers find themselves drawn into a secret war, fighting alongside a militant papal order and the enigmatic, supernatural Dar’ uka, who may or may not be angels. Their mission is to destroy the Scramidaen and protect the Church against the vampiric assassins of Count Ordrane, a fight in which the fate of mankind may be decided…
As you can probably tell from this summary, the fantasy aspect conforms to a familiar trope with little to set it apart from numerous others in this genre, and it isn’t what you would properly call horror, but it does work as a fast-paced historical action-adventure. Well written, especially for a first novel, the early 19th-century setting is realised in a grimy detail, and the battle scenes very graphically described. It’s not a standout, but a good, solid read.
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